New community hub for Armstrong Creek opens

THE Biyala Community Hub has officially opened in Armstrong Creek, offering a new space for recreation, community programs and essential family services.

The multi-purpose facility in Warralily Boulevard includes a three-room kindergarten now taking enrolments for three- and four-year-olds, alongside spaces for allied health services, meetings and classes.

Delivered three years ahead of schedule, the project’s early completion was made possible using a modular construction method.

The building was manufactured in sections at Modularity’s factory in Moolap before being transported to the site and assembled – a process that significantly shortened the delivery timeline.

 

The new outdoor areas surrounding the hub have been designed around a large native eucalyptus tree, with landscaped public space and car parking integrated into the design.

It is also linked by a pedestrian path to the Biyala Primary School Kindergarten, creating a connected learning precinct for local families.

KU Children’s Services, a not-for-profit organisation with more than 130 years of experience, has been appointed by the City of Greater Geelong to manage the centre.

Chief executive, Christine Legg, said KU was excited to join the rapidly growing community.

“We are delighted to bring KU’s high-quality early childhood education to the Armstrong Creek community and look forward to partnering with local families at the Biyala Community Hub,” she said.

Charlemont ward councillor Emma Sinclair said the hub would help meet the needs of the area’s youngest residents.

“Armstrong Creek and Mount Duneed are rapidly growing, with 10.6 per cent of residents being babies and preschoolers,” she said. “We hope our thriving Armstrong Creek community will embrace the Biyala Community Hub and help it come alive.”

Victorian Minister for Children Lizzie Blandthorn, who joined Cr Sinclair at the hub’s ribbon cutting, said the centre was part of efforts to make family services more accessible locally.

“These new centres give families the support they need close to home, with long day care and kinder under one roof,” she said.