Locals are racing to get tickets to a Sunbury Historical Tour before the former mental asylum site is shut behind a fence.
It seems time is almost up for the beloved tours after Victoria University issued the business with a termination notice last month.
The notice said Sunbury Historical Tours’ contract with the university would end on January 28, which has since been extended until the end of February.
Sunbury Historical and Heritage Society president Peter Free, who helps Julie Mills to run the tours, said the university had not disclosed if the tours could continue beyond February.
Mr Free said the university had begun boarding up windows over the past few weeks, and that a fence was soon to be erected around the buildings. CCTV is already in place.
The Victorian Planning Authority released a draft masterplan for the Jacksons Hill site in November, detailing plans for construction at the grounds. But the final plan for the site is yet to be released.
Tour business owner Julie Mills posted on Facebook that the building had been sold, and that “negotiations will likely take place with the new owners of this property in due course” about recommencing the tours.
Residents have taken to Facebook to mourn an end to the tours.
“Such a big loss to our community,” one Facebook user posted.
Mr Free said extra tours were being held in February, but they were already almost booked out. He said people had loved taking the tours through the heritage-listed buildings.
“People love it, they come from all over the state,” Mr Free said. “We’ve had people come from Beechworth and Packenham.”
