So significant is Ballarat’s heritage, that we are a member of the World League of Historical Cities and delegates from this fair city attend league conferences, the most recent being in Austria just last month.

While it is important for contemporary regions like Ballarat to move with the times, it is equally important to preserve as much of our significant heritage as possible for future generations to admire and appreciate.

That said, it is sad some of Ballarat’s most significant links to rail heritage, our signal boxes, are being left to rot.

Is this a case of demolition by neglect?

Ballarat’s collection of historic railway structures and memorabilia, including signal boxes, gantries and masts, has been described as possibly the best in Australia.

However, there are fears our important railway history will disappear because of continued neglect. The Lydiard Street signal box has stood for years graffitied and vandalised. The city has already lost the Macarthur Street signal box and weighbridge shed to fire, it would be a pity for other significant pieces to go the same way.

The Ballarat City Council had previously voted to commit money to restoring the signal boxes, only to come up against the fact it was not the responsible body.

Now Ballarat’s arts community has weighed into the debate, vowing to form a committee to put pressure on responsible entities VicTrack and V/Line.

VicTrack said it planned to carry out works on the Mair Street box, while V/Line said it did not plan to fix damage at the Lydiard Street.

This week, prominent Ballarat artists will meet to formulate a strategy to ensure the city’s heritage signal boxes are preserved into the future.

Suggestions have already been made for the signal boxes’ reuse, including museums, while others have considered a crowdfunding campaign to raise funds for repairs to the boxes.

Ballarat councillor Samantha McIntosh, who plans to meet with the artists’ group this week, described the signal boxes as “spectacular pieces of Ballarat history”, adding it was important they were properly preserved.

Those who are responsible for maintenance of the boxes must ensure these important parts of Ballarat’s history are preserved for future generations to come.