The new Hamilton Library, Community Hub and Civic Square will bring together learning, innovation and community life in one contemporary, welcoming precinct. The Community Hub is a $34 million, two-storey, future-focused development, designed to become the town’s centre for connection, collaboration and civic pride.
At its heart will be a new Hamilton Library with dedicated digital opportunities. The design will provide for a future-ready space not just to house books, but to spark ideas, build connections and nurture belonging.
While the current Library is one of Victoria’s leading regional libraries, it no longer reflects the scale of community ambition or future needs, severely restricted in space and size. The new build will reimagine what a library can be: a vibrant civic living room for people to gather to learn, create, collaborate and importantly, feel connected.
Flexible, adaptable spaces will host programs, events and shared experiences, expanding access to education and digital technologies for youth to support future pathways.
The Community Hub will provide office space for multiple government services, including Council offices and allied health. The building will offer adaptable spaces for programs and events, improving access to educational resources and digital technologies that support lifelong learning and future aspirations. It will bring together essential services in one location, including maternal and child health and aged care services.
The Hub will create a seamless, people-centred experience through a shared foyer and customer service area for Council and tenant government agencies. Flexible shared administration and meeting spaces will accommodate a range of room sizes to support different functional and work needs.
The Civic Square will become a central, open gathering place for community events and pop-up activations. Connecting to the New Hamilton Gallery sculpture garden, it will form the heart of the Hamilton CBD, creating a vibrant, welcoming space for the community and visitors.
By investing in a new Community Hub with a purpose-built library and civic square, we are investing in the long-term sustainability, wellbeing and prosperity of our region.
Why a new Library?
The centrepiece of the Community Hub will be a purpose-built, state-of-the-art library and digital hub designed to serve the whole community. Built in the 1960s, Hamilton’s current library is significantly undersized for the community it serves. NSW library standards indicate that a town of Hamilton’s size should have a library of approximately 881 m² — nearly double the existing 482 m². As the library serving the whole of the Southern Grampians region, the recommended standard increases to 1,125 m².
The gap between what is needed and what currently exists places constant pressure on staff, spaces and services. The result is a library that is stretched beyond capacity and unable to meet growing community demand for programs, events and support.
Demand for activities far outweighs supply with programs being fully booked within hours, creating disappointment for residents and leaving many without access to vital learning and connection opportunities. This pressure particularly impacts families and children who rely on free, accessible programs.
The absence of a dedicated program space means staff must regularly pack away books and move shelving, to run even the most essential activities. On any given day, the library is crowded and constrained, limiting how people can read, study, connect and participate. This affects the quality of the experience for users of all ages and highlights the urgent need for a purpose-built, future-ready facility.
Why a Community Hub?
Council administration staff currently operate from two ageing office sites that no longer support contemporary work practices or the level of collaboration expected of a modern organisation. The Hub provides the opportunity to bring all Council staff together in a single, agile workplace designed for flexibility, teamwork and improved service delivery.
Co‑locating Council with other government services in the Hub will create a more connected, efficient and community‑focused environment. Shared workspaces, meeting rooms and customer‑facing areas will enable staff to collaborate more easily, streamline processes and respond to community needs in a more coordinated way. This integrated model also strengthens relationships between agencies, supports joint planning and problem‑solving, and creates a clear, accessible point of contact for residents seeking information or assistance.
By consolidating services provided by multiple agencies under one roof, the hub will enhance our communities overall experience, making it easier for people to access support, engage with and benefit from a more unified public service presence in the heart of Hamilton. The Hub will also enable Council to foster a more cohesive organisational culture, reduce duplication, and improve sustainability.
What about the Civic Square?
Beyond the building itself, the precinct improvements will deliver new parking areas, energy‑efficient lighting and pedestrian‑friendly footpaths. At the heart of the precinct is the civic square, a central public space that will connect key civic and cultural destinations including the New Hamilton Gallery, Hamilton Performing Arts Centre, CBD streets and laneways, and Melville Oval. Together, these elements will create a vibrant, walkable precinct that encourages people to explore, connect and participate in community life.
Hamilton’s CBD currently has no dedicated green space or welcoming public area for community gathering, informal use or civic events. The civic square directly addresses this gap and activates a currently neglected area. It will provide a welcoming, accessible and flexible space for events, celebrations, exhibitions and everyday activity, offering residents, visitors and local businesses a much‑needed focal point for community life and encourage private sector investment, right in the heart of the town.
As an architectural extension of the Hub, the civic square will express Hamilton’s history and evolving identity, incorporating interpretive design elements and public storytelling that honour both the town’s past and its future aspirations. The former Hamilton Uniting Church, integrated into the square’s layout through cohesive landscaping and intentional sightlines, will continue to serve as a valued community facility and enrich the precinct’s cultural narrative.
Funding Support Needed
The Hub concept and detailed design package was included as part of the funding secured through the Regional Precincts and Partnerships Program, with $5 million granted in October 2024.
Council is now seeking funding to support the construction phase of the build. Council has dedicated $17 million to the project with another $17 million needed in government support to deliver the Hub for the Southern Grampians community.
Community feedback and engagement opportunities for this project can be found here.