Plans to move heritage pre-WWII Imbil Catholic church to Tin Can Bay

A historic timber church which has called the Mary Valley home for more than 80 years is about to head off in an entirely new direction.

The Corporation of the Trustees of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Brisbane wants permission to relocate the heritage-listed Holy Cross Catholic Church from the Mary Valley town to a new location at Tin Can Bay.

A historic pre-WWII church which has called Imbil home for more than 80 years is about to be packed up and shipped to the coast.

The Corporation of the Trustees of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Brisbane wants permission to relocate the heritage-listed Holy Cross Catholic Church from the Mary Valley town to a new location at Tin Can Bay.

The development application it lodged with Gympie Regional Council said the church had been standing at the block on Meyers St since before WWII.

The Archdiocese wants to relocate it to a vacant block at Breams St, 85km across the Gympie region.

The Corporation of the Trustees of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Brisbane wants permission to relocate the heritage-listed Holy Cross Catholic Church from the Mary Valley town to a new location at Tin Can Bay.

St John Vianney Church currently sits directly adjacent to the block.

It said in the application the move would allow for the church to be preserved and re-used by the community and Tin Can Bay’s existing Catholic and Anglican congregations, which are about 40 strong.

It said in the application the move would allow for the church to be preserved to re-used by the community and Tin Can Bay’s existing Catholic and Anglican congregations, which are about 40 strong.

CoreLogic’s RP data does not have a record of how long the Meyers St or Bream St properties have been owned by the Archdiocese.

St John Vianney Church currently sits directly adjacent to the block.

It is unclear what the Archdiocese will do with the Imbil block if it is given the green light to move the church.

The Archdiocese asked the council for a 60 per cent discount from the expected $7282.50 application lodgement fee owing to its status as a non-profit and community organisation.

The council has not made any decision on the application.