A project to undertake significant renewal works at Buda Historic Home and Garden in Castlemaine has been allocated half a million dollars in the 2025/26 State Budget.
The funds will deliver State 2 of the masterplan, which will include refurbishing the current venue room into an office and administration space with a visitor centre, and plans to build a new venue room with a space for archives.
Ultimately, these plans will allow the public access to the entirety of the historic house.
Buda chief operation officer Vivienne Hamilton said the new venue room, to be located in the rose garden, would be beautiful.
“But the most important part of the plan is that it will enable us to open up the whole house for the public for a better experience and allow us to tell the whole story,” she said.
“Rotary Castlemaine have also generously pledged a substantial grant toward Stage 2 of the project, which will include obtaining heritage permits, town planning, final drawings and importantly, to conduct community consultation.”
During the funding announcement last Thursday, Buda Committee of Management president Bronwyn Rudolph said that having the historic home recognised as something worth saving, maintaining and looking after, was incredibly rewarding.
“We’ve had this project bubbling away for so long and it will make such a difference to this place, it will sustain it into the future,” she said.
A continued supporter of Buda, Bendigo West MP Maree Edwards said she was proud to help to support the preservation of the historic home and gardens that would ensure future generations could continue to enjoy its history and beauty.
“This funding ensures Buda not only continues to flourish, but grows as a sanctuary for community, culture and biodiversity – supporting local jobs and events, while nurturing essential habitat for native birds, insects and pollinators.”
Originally built in the 1860s and renamed ‘Buda’ by Hungarian immigrant Ernest Leviny, the house holds a nationally significant collection of art, furnishings and family treasures.
The surrounding three-acre garden reflects the Leviny family’s creativity and resilience, adapting to central Victoria’s dry climate with sustainable plantings, hand-built structures and heritage features such as the bird aviary, grape pergola and tennis pavilion.
Whether exploring its shaded paths, attending a local festival, or simply pausing to enjoy birdsong, Buda offers a serene and enriching experience for all – a place to come together and reconnect with nature.
