Tower Hill Robin Boyd visitor centre closing to general public

Worn Gundidj Aboriginal Co-operative, which manages the centre, said it would still be used for tour groups, but general access, including retail, cafe and visitor information services, would cease from October 3.

Business development manager Clint Miller said it wasn't a decision the Worn Gundidj board had made lightly.

"This was a very difficult decision that the board considered carefully. It's been painful, but it's a necessary step," Mr Miller said.

He said he wanted to emphasise Tower Hill remained open and it was mainly the unsustainable retail service that would be stopping.

The distinctive building has stood in the centre of the Tower Hill caldera since 1969, with Worn Gundidj running retail, cafe and information services there since 1994. Mr Miller said it had never been a retail hotspot.

"We haven't made money in 25-odd years out there, but we kept it running," he said.

"Most people who do come in want advice because they see it as a visitor centre, so they're not buying anything. We're not profit driven, but at the same time we're not in a position to carry heavy losses."

Mr Miller said the centre would have had to have shut for several months in early 2023 as Tower Hill's entire visitor precinct was redeveloped under a $11.3 million state government plan. "With that disruption coming up we decided to be proactive, rather than sitting around waiting for it to shut," he said.

He said the products sold at the centre - such as Indigenous arts and crafts and soaps hand-made from native ingredients - would soon be available online as Worn Gundidj debuted an e-commerce shop.

Mr Miller said there was some disappointment at having plunged significant funds into the centre to keep it open for so many years, without any government support.

"We're only the tenant, we rent the building from Parks Victoria and we have had to draw money from our other programs to keep the doors open," he said. "There has been zero support."

Mr Miller said Worn Gundidj had been lobbying the state government for some time to get accessible toilets, a drinking water supply and a defibrillator at Tower Hill.

A visitor collapsed and died at the top of one of the park's most popular trails in early 2021.

Mr Miller said Worn Gundidj's cultural and nature tours, run by experienced Indigenous guides, would be a focus at the site.

"That said, we would love to be in a position this time next year to re-establish some kind of retail offering out there," he said.

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