After a tumultuous two-and-a-half years and a claim of more than $20,000 spent on planning processes, the long-awaited Ivory Pavilion has found a home.
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On Thursday, Ivory Pavilion owners Alyssa and Travis Strangwick signed a 10-year-lease with the Buninyong Golf Club.
Ms Strangwick said the move would be "life-changing" after struggling to obtain permission from both the City of Ballarat and unappeased community members to set up their boutique wedding venue at the former Buninyong fire station at 307 Learmonth Street.
"It's a dream come true," she said.
Ms Strangwick said she was first alerted about the alternative option when she was sprung with a phone call by Committee for Ballarat's chief executive Michael Poulton.
"I first got a call from him (Mr Poulton) about three or four weeks back and he mentioned he had heard the challenges we had been going through trying to get our events space up and running and he said if we were still having troubles he had someone we could get in contact with who had another opportunity in Buninyong," she said.
Several days later the Strangwicks were in touch with board members from the Buninyong Golf Club.
The two parties had a meeting earlier this month and the deal was sealed on Friday morning.
"It's such a great fit for us and we are really lucky because we don't have to do any renovations; all we have to do is refresh the space," Ms Strangwick said.
She said it was a huge relief to have acquired the top floor of the Buninyong Golf Club, which can accomodate 180 people in a cocktail setting, as they will no longer have to adhere to the stringent guidelines laid out by the council at 307 Learmonth Street.
"It will give us more energy to devote to our business rather than the logistics of getting it up," Ms Strangwick said.
Works for a fresh new look for Ivory Pavilion is set to begin in the coming weeks which will include the addition of chandeliers, greenery walls and Rattan lounges.
Ivory Pavilion at 613 Learmonth Street is set to open on March 1.
While their plans to set up their boutique wedding venue at the former home of the Buninyong fire station have not completely disappeared, Ms Strangwick said the owner of the site understood it was unlikely she and her partner would be able to bring their ambitions to light.
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Malvika Hemanth
Malvika has a strong interest in covering stories on welfare, cost of living pressures and the arts. She works on the unceded lands of the Wadawurrung people and pays her respect to elders past, present and emerging.
Malvika has a strong interest in covering stories on welfare, cost of living pressures and the arts. She works on the unceded lands of the Wadawurrung people and pays her respect to elders past, present and emerging.
