Sovereign Hill to cease school programs at Narmbool as part of post-Covid review

School camps and excursions at a Sovereign Hill-owned property will soon come to an end, with weddings also up in the air.

Sovereign Hill's Narmbool Homestead, built in 1889. Photo: Sovereign Hill

Camps and excursions at a Sovereign Hill-owned property will cease at the end of the 2023 school year, with the venue’s use for weddings and functions after 2024 also up in the air.

Narmbool — a 2000h piece of land at Elaine encompassing an historical homestead, lodgings, and a lamb farm — has for years been available for educational programs, along with weddings and other events.

For about 12 months, Sovereign Hill has been reviewing parts of its business, including how it makes use of Narmbool, in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic.

As a result of the review, school programs will no longer be held at Narmbool — which hosted less than 5 per cent of Sovereign Hill student days, the organisation said — after Term 4 this year.

Programs scheduled between now and then will go on without change.

Programs scheduled at Narmbool up until the end of the 2023 school year will still take place. Photo: Sovereign Hill

“Education programs are consolidating to our Golden Point site, with our education officers continuing to deliver from this site,” Sovereign Hill head of learning Sofia Fiusco said.

“We will be maintaining a strong focus on sustainability education within our offering.

“We are investing in new education spaces at Golden Point to ensure we can continue to provide curriculum-aligned, enjoyable, and high-impact experience for visiting schools as the programs grow.”

Sovereign Hill said it took its custodianship of the property “very seriously” and was giving the matter “substantial consideration”.

Booked functions will continue in 2024 as planned, the organisation said. Beyond then, no final decisions have been made.

Moorabool Shire councillor Tom Sullivan. Picture: Supplied

Moorabool Shire councillor Tom Sullivan was present for the ceremony when the Ferry family gave Narmbool to Sovereign Hill in 2000.

He said Sovereign Hill had provided “invaluable” rural education at the site and deserved credit for it, despite it being “disappointing” should the school progams stop.

“That positive aspect I think would be sorely missed,” he said.

“It afforded children the opportunity to understand resources.

“It was really just an insight into what early Australian history was like but also how you had to make do and manage your resources, which I think is good in itself: quite often we forget where things come from.”

An average of 110,000 students took part in Sovereign Hill school programs each year before Covid.

The organisation expects to reach 2019 levels of patronage by the end of the year.

In June, Sovereign Hill staff voted in favour of a three-year enterprise agreement after union members threatened industrial action over what they considered an inadequate pay offer.