Galkangu officially topped out

THE Bendigo GovHub, known as Galkangu, has reached new heights, with work on its top storey completed last week.

At a special topping out ceremony last week, State minister for regional development Mary-Anne Thomas visited the site to mark the occasion.

“This is going to be an extraordinary building and an extraordinary addition to Bendigo,” she said.

“We have GovHubs in Ballarat and Morwell and in each of these regional cities, they’re performing an incredible role, bringing job opportunities to regional Victoria.”

The Bendigo GovHub is a $90 million project aiming to centralise and relocate services, with 1000 State Government and City of Greater Bendigo jobs to operate out of the building.

Ms Thomas said the building is being constructed using sustainable timber sourced from Gippsland and Albury-Wodonga.

“It’s about taking what’s a scarce natural resource and making sure we get the best value from it by utilising it in different ways,” she said.

Member for Bendigo West, Maree Edwards, said Galkangu, along with the Bendigo Law Courts and Bendigo TAFE building, are “transforming the CBD of Bendigo.”

“The architecture of the new buildings fits so beautifully with our historic architecture in Bendigo, you really don’t feel like they’re standing out like a sore thumb,” she said.

Dja Dja Wurrung Clans Aboriginal Corporation collaborated with Development Victoria to include First Nations design elements and language within the building.

General Manager of Djaara, Cassandra Lewis, said tenants will be able to see wedged-tail eagle Bunjil, the creator spirit, on the facade of the law courts as well as a sculpture at the GovHub entrance representing the council of elders.

“When we make things happen together, when we build together, when we connect to country, we create Galkangu,” she said.

“This place will transform into the fantastic Galknagu building, a name that has a meaning but also generates the action of bringing people together surrounded by language, presence and culture.

“It’s really significant for the Dja Dja Wurrung to build visibility across country, with culture applied in a contemporary context, it creates a lot of pride for our people.

“It places language, culture and history that will invite conversations and an awareness of deeper reconciliation for generations to come.”

The building is expected to be open for staff by early 2023.