Big things are coming to Victoria’s tiniest towns with new support through the Allan Labor Government’s Tiny Towns Fund set to make our smallest communities even better places to live, work and visit.

Member for Bellarine Alison Marchant today welcomed the announcement that Round 2 of the $20 million Tiny Towns Fund is now open. Grants between $5,000 and $50,000 will be available through Regional Development Victoria to boost tourism, livability and community pride in towns with up to 5,000 people.

From new barbecues, bike tracks and walking trails to club and community hall upgrades, the grants will support towns to bring to life projects that celebrate community spirit and make a positive difference to locals.

The first round of the Tiny Towns Fund is already supporting more than 200 projects in 181 towns across regional Victoria and interface councils – with $7 million provided to projects that matter to local communities. The Bellarine have five new projects being delivered thanks to the first round of the Tiny Towns Fund:

• Queenscliff Museum received $50,000 to deliver the refurbishment of the historic Gil Allbutt Boat Shed.
• Indented Head Yacht Club received $10,000 to deliver clubhouse refurbishments.
• St Leonards Progress Association received $11,416 to deliver an entrance and courtyard surface and shade upgrade.
• Portarlington Bayside Miniature Railway Inc received $21,000 to deliver a refurbishment of the Point Richards Station and Signal Box Building.
• Bellarine Bears Baseball Club received $50,000 to deliver improvements to fencing at the Wallington Recreation Reserve Baseball field.

The Tiny Towns Fund is backing stronger communities by enhancing local towns, boosting livability and local jobs and creating more reasons for people to visit Victoria’s great regional towns.

Townships that have not yet received a Tiny Towns grant, or that have worthy project ideas to boost community resilience, recovery and economic growth, are encouraged to come forward in this round. The application process has also been updated to make it even easier for smaller, volunteer-run community groups to apply.

The fund is a part of the Labor Government’s record $45 billion investment since 2014 in projects and programs that support regional and rural Victoria.

For more information, visit rdv.vic.gov.au/tinytownsfund or suburbandevelopment.vic.gov.au/grants/tiny-towns-fund

Quotes attributable to Member for Bellarine Alison Marchant

"The Tiny Towns Fund empowers small communities to thrive, ensuring projects that locals are passionate about can become a reality."