Construction has officially started on a massive $1.7m art gallery and cafe extension north of Brisbane, along with $400,000 of infrastructure upgrades to support the southern hemisphere’s largest medieval festival – attracting 25,000 knights and maidens every year.
As part of the 2022-23 State Budget, the State Government committed $2.1 million to the Caboolture Abbey Museum.
Of this, $1.7 million would go towards the art gallery and cafe extension, and another $400,00 to be spent on infrastructure for a popular medieval festival.
Render of the $1.7 million Abbey Museum Art Gallery and cafe extension at Caboolture. Picture – contributed.
The $1.7 million Abbey Museum Art Gallery and cafe extension at Caboolture, Moreton Bay, has just started last week.
The new Abbey Art Gallery and Museum Cafe would showcase for the first time some of the venue’s most important artworks dating back to the medieval and renaissance periods.
Funded through the Regional Tourism Recovery Program (RTRP), the extension was expected to be completed in June next year.
Render of the $1.7 million Abbey Museum Art Gallery and cafe extension at Caboolture. Picture – contributed.
Abbey Museum of Art and Archaeology Board Chair Edith Cuffe said the new facilities, connected to the established museum, were expected to attract an additional 7000 visitors in the first year of operation.
Ms Cuffe said the extension would allow the venue to share its unseen collection of Renaissance and Baroque artworks for the first time.
Render of the $1.7 million Abbey Museum Art Gallery and cafe extension at Caboolture. Picture – contributed.
“Many date from the 1400s and include a Rubens and fresco fragment from Milan cathedral,” she said.
“Residents of South East Queensland will have European art history on their doorstep as well as an international collection of objects spanning one million years.”
Member for Pumicestone, Ali King joined Ms Cuffe in turning the first sod at a special ceremony last week.
Plan for the $1.7 million Abbey Museum Art Gallery and cafe extension at Caboolture.
Work on site would also include $400,000 of infrastructure upgrades to support the iconic Abbey Medieval Festival, the southern hemisphere’s largest celebration of medieval Europe, which attracted 25,000 knights and maidens over two-days each year.
Ms Cuffe said the Queensland Government’s $2.1m funding support would strengthen Moreton Bay’s global reputation as a medieval must-do destination.
Jousting Dress Rehearsal ahead of the southern hemisphere’s biggest celebration of medieval Europe, the Abbey Medieval Festival at Caboolture. Picture Lachie Millard
“The Queensland Government’s commitment will allow our long-held dream of expanding the Abbey Museum Art Gallery and building a cafe to become a reality,” Ms Cuffe said.
“The funding also gives us the opportunity to install much-needed infrastructure on the Abbey Medieval Festival site, enhancing the festival’s capacity to grow and develop and allowing us to host additional world-class events on site.”
Moreton Bay Region Industry and Tourism CEO, Tash Wheeler, said the $2.1 million upgrade to the Abbey Museum and Medieval Festival site would bring even more interstate and international visitors to the region.
Alex Cronin, Myfanwy Dibben and Megan Cronin at the 2019 Abbey Medieval Festival in Caboolture, Sunday, July 14, 2019 (AAP Image/Richard Walker)
“More visitors mean more jobs and opportunities for Moreton Bay accommodation providers, restaurants, cafes and tourism operators,” Ms Wheeler said.
“The Abbey Museum and Medieval Festival give patrons the opportunity to step back in time and celebrate the pageantry, excitement, colour, sounds, and drama of the Middle Ages.
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“The Abbey Museum’s curriculum-based education program also allows thousands of students to explore 500,000 years of history.
“We know tens-of-thousands of visitors come to see the jousters and the museum’s remarkable collections, however, they stay and discover the beauty and attractions of the region, all the way from the bay to the hinterland.”
The Abbey Museum Art Gallery and Cafe extension is due for completion in June 2024.
