July 20, 2017
After failing to draw any bids when it was put out to tender in June, Hivesville Hall has a new owner.
An undisclosed buyer has purchased the building and the lot it sits on from the South Burnett Regional Council for $30,000.
The mystery buyer emerged this month.
Cr Kathy Duff said she understood the new owner planned to convert the historic building into a residence.
Hivesville Hall is located on Main Street in Hivesville and was built in 1924.
It was once in regular use, but over the years had steadily fallen into disuse and had not been maintained.
In February, Councillors felt the hall was not worth the cost of restoration and voted to put the property on the market.
Interested buyers were given the option of either purchasing the building and the land it sat on as a package, just the land itself, or just the hall, providing they removed it from the site.
Tenders for the property closed on May 17, but it emerged last month no bids were received.
Cr Duff said the sale of the hall was a positive thing for the region because the building could now be removed from the Council’s asset register.
This meant the Council would no longer have to set aside depreciation costs for the hall each year.
But she was happy the building would remain in Hivesville, and be converted to another use.
Cr Duff said she had many happy memories of dances at the hall when she was growing up, including one where she was sashed as “Hivesville Social Princess”.
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