The much-loved venue, the oldest continuously running theatre in Australia, is a heritage treasure for Ballarat built in its boom era of 1874.  

But now the grande dame is feeling her age.

The severity of the foundation issues were discovered in December, when engineers attempted to scope out potential works on the building’s roof line. 

To carry out initial investigations on the roof, engineers would have needed to place heavy equipment and scaffolding on the stage. But a probe of the building’s foundation showed this could not be done safely. 

The theatre has been closed since late December and was due to host events by April 2019, but contingencies have already been discussed if those bookings can not go ahead.

While the venue could be reopened without fixing the foundations, council’s preference remains to complete all renovations now.

The broad scope of renovations are expected to cost $20 million, including the current round of conservation works funded by a $2 million state government Living Heritage Grant. 

Ballarat mayor Samantha McIntosh said the city had completed “short-term fixes” over the last decade, but they now had to “deal with it properly”. 

“You don’t want to have to go back in another five or 10 years time to do interim works,” Cr McIntosh said. 

City of Ballarat is now calling for $5 million from the state government, with another $10 million needed from the federal government.

Additional funding for the project is also expected to be unveiled in council’s May budget. 

City of Ballarat CEO Justine Linley said the foundation was like a “layer cake”, with no-one entirely sure of its composition or what might lay underneath. 

“There appears to have been attempt in the 1980s to pump concrete down there, but we don’t know what’s under the concrete. It could be a cap over a mine shaft, we don’t know.”

The indefinite closure again puts the Royal South Street Society’s competition, a cornerstone of the theatre’s calendar each year, into jeopardy. 

In February the eisteddfod was forced to find a new home, after confirmation the current round of fire safety upgrades and deterioration prevention works would not be completed in time for the competition’s 127th year.

Royal South Street Society’s CEO Brett Macdonald said this year’s change had already stretched the society financially, due to the cost of relocating offices, IT and transporting volunteers to Founder’s Hall.

“I don’t like to think about what two years out of the theatre might be like,” he said. 

“It would be good to have some clear direction by late this year on whether it will be ready or not.”

In a statement, Wendouree MP Sharon Knight said “I have not been approached by the City of Ballarat seeking further support for this project, but I’d consider supporting any request to preserve Ballarat’s heritage.”

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