Lower Keppel Street now has a clearer look to the observing eye after a host of now unnecessary telegraph poles were removed from the Tremain's Mill precinct last week.
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Two poles adjacent to the 1884 Victoria Stores building [deemed condemned by Essential Energy] and one in Havannah Street were removed throughout last week, with the mill's sheds now connected to the grid underground.
Tremain's Mill owner Stephen Birrell said the removal of the poles is part of the site's move to solar power.
"By the end of the year, the site will have a self-sustaining solar power system with battery back-up," Mr Birrell said.
"It will save our tenants around 20 per cent on their electricity bills, the site will no longer be reliant on an outside supply, and it will drastically reduce the precinct's carbon footprint."
Business tenants set to benefit from the change include Doppio, Pain Et Tartinade, Abstract Reflections, Fuzion Hair, Spinifex Recruiting, The Mill Apartments and the upcoming Australian Milling Museum [AMM].
The Victoria Bathurst is also in the precinct; however, the building was sold to new owners in February 2020.
Mr Birrell said the removal of the poles has drastically altered the outward look of the precinct.
"We're going to end up with a streetscape more aligned to what it was in the late 1800s, where steam-driven energy was commonplace," he said.
"In addition, we're in the process of removing the Bedwell signs off the mill building and warehouse, with the original Tremain Bros signage to go in its place."
"The site is still evolving, but it's very much a case of old meets new: we're restoring the beauty of these original buildings, while also using sustainable technology to make the precinct cleaner and greener."
Mr Birrell said the AMM is continuing to develop, with the museum's board seeking further funding avenues.
"We're getting inundated with donations of equipment and archives from across the milling industry, so we have virtually everything we need to populate the museum," he said.
"The main priority now is securing funding to establish an ongoing income stream, and the state government has previously highlighted their support for the project in terms of promoting Bathurst as a tourist destination.
"There's so much money being allocated to regional areas at the moment to boost tourism coming out of COVID-19, which might prove advantageous to us.
"But we're comfortable with how things are progressing, and we can't move too quickly, as museums are a several-year journey from vision to reality."
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