Council & Business
9 January, 2026
New era for railway station
Maryborough’s historic railway station will pen a new artistic chapter as youth workshops begin and creative collaborators are sought.
Central Goldfields Shire Council is launching the Creative Station, a project that received funding in 2024, as a hub of community creativity.
It’s a vision finding its feet in a six month pilot program at the northern end of the station.
Children and teenagers are invited to attend free workshops being held over the school holidays including creating cardboard sculptures and making their own zine.
Older locals with a creative spark are also welcome to put in an expression of interest to join supported residencies at the Creative Station in early 2026.
Central Goldfields Shire deputy mayor Anna de Villiers said the pilot program gives new life to the station for imagination, learning and connection.
“If you think about humanity three things have always bound people or got people together: music, art, and food,” she said.
They’re pillars Cr de Villiers said she hopes to support in the shire.
“There are funding opportunities and we should definitely make sure that we access those funds, and use it, not let it got to waste,” she said.
The holiday program’s hands-on workshops for young people include the Strange Garden Cardboard Installation Workshops for those aged eight to 18 years old and the Teen Zine It Your Way workshop for those aged 13 to 18.
All workshops are free, with limited places available. Bookings are essential via Eventbrite.
Local creatives are also invited to form cross-disciplinary teams and propose new collaborative projects to be developed onsite at the railway station.
Two one-month residencies are available this year (February 12 to March 8 and April 9 to May 8), each offering free access to the Creative Station space and a $500 support payment per group.
Residencies should focus on co-creation, experimentation and community engagement, with outcomes such as installations, open studios, workshops, performances or work-in-progress showings that respond to the place and people of Central Goldfields.
Expressions of interest close January 18, with further information and workshop booking dates available on council’s website.