Conservation Management Plan update 2025

Wyalkatchem Railway Barracks are a typical 1910s one storey timber framed and clad railway barracks in Western Australia, and has considerable cultural heritage significance. The barracks were used as temporary accommodation by train crews working away from their home station. Use of the Wyalkatchem barracks declined from the 1980s as railway services and staff numbers were reduced. In 2003, the barracks are leased to the Shire of Wyalkatchem and continue to be used as a accommodation for tourist and temporary workers.

What we did
The Shire of Wyalkatchem commissioned the Office of Regional Architecture (ORA) to review and update the CMP which were originally prepared by Laura Gray in association with Irene Sauman in 2002, funded by the Lotteries Commission Heritage grant program, to provide for appropriate conservation management and planning for the future of Wyalkatchem Railway Barracks reflecting the existing condition of the Place. The work was funded by the Heritage Council 2024-25 Heritage Grants Program in 2025.
We visited the site, recording the changes since the first CMP was prepared, and making appropriate changes to the document in relation to condition, conservation and restoration works required in the short, medium, and long term, to improve and maintain the significance of the place into the future.

The Impact
We have improved the CMP by updating the current condition of the place and identifying the significant levels of various elements within the site. This assists the Shire in carrying out repair and conservation works within its limited budget, and in a staged manner compatible with grant-funding opportunities from time to time. The recommended works address urgent structural and waterproofing issues within the site, as well as various medium and long-term works to improve the overall architectural heritage health of the place.