Work starts on Wonthaggi’s new basketball home

Minister for Education James Merlino turned the sod on the $32.5 million project this week to completely rebuild the school’s ageing senior campus and deliver a new local sports stadium.

It has been designed by ClarkeHopkinsClarke Architects, with builders SJ Higgins appointed to construct it.

The new campus is expected to be completed in 2020 and will feature a multi-sport stadium that will be shared with the community, including three competition-grade basketball courts.

“We know that Wonthaggi Secondary College has some of the best teachers, students and staff going around and now they’ll have world-class classrooms, buildings and sporting facilities to match,” Minister for Education James Merlino said.

The stadium will provide a much-needed home for the Wonthaggi Amateur Basketball Association, which has 400 members, no home facilities and has been campaigning for new facilities for years.

The Andrews Labor Government has delivered $31 million for the upgrade, with Bass Coast Shire Council contributing $1.5 million towards the costs of the new shared stadium.

“The start of construction of the new school is start of such an exciting new chapter for Wonthaggi,”Member for Eastern Victoria Harriet Shing said. “Once complete, the new secondary senior campus and indoor sports stadium will be a community resource to inspire and encourage students, teachers and the community for many years to come.”