Now that the old School of Mines has been refurbished (virtually a rebuild using as much of the original materials as possible) by expert restorers The Mint Inc, the chimneys are no longer straight but the building is strong enough to stand on its own.

The Clunes School of Mines was officially reopened yesterday with its main tenant, the Clunes Angling Club, accepting the keys.

The project cost about $250,000 but was well worth it due to the historical significance of the building, said architect and heritage adviser Mandy Jean. 

“The damage was massive, almost irreparable,” she said.. 

“Because of the work of the angling club and Mint Inc, they have been able to repair what is a very important building for Clunes.”

Built in 1892, the Clunes School of Mines was originally affiliated with Ballarat School of Mines. The elegant little building was only used to educate miners in the district about mining and gold-smelting techniques for about six months, though, before an economic crash saw much of the region’s mining relocated to Western Australia.

The Clunes building has since been used by the Australian Natives Association and the Country Women’s Association. It has been a mattress factory, an infant welfare centre and, for the past 12 to 15 years, a clubhouse for the angling club.

“The building is very important, both for its own history but also for the Clunes streetscape,” Ms Jean said.

“There are only two schools of mines left in Victoria, and this was quite the foundation for this type of building in Australia when the nation was a leading innovator in mining and smelting in the world.”

The building was in disrepair but nevertheless usable until the 2010-2011 floods moved it off its foundations.

Working with Brian Simpson from the Department of Sustainability and Environment, the Clunes Angling Club approached The Mint Inc with a view to saving the building.

“These buildings that tell a story about a community are very important to preserve,” Mint Inc executive officer Katrina Kimpton said.

Where it was impossible to use original materials that were too badly damaged, recycled materials and messmate timber milled from the region were used in its construction. Because the building was so lopsided, every window had to be taken out and reconstructed.

The finished product is, in the words of Clunes Angling Club secretary/treasurer Ian Macfarlane, “marvellous”.

gavin.mcgrath@fairfaxmedia.com.au