Muurrbay New Roof Fund – Project Overview

After more than 20 years as one of Australia’s leading Indigenous language centres, Muurrbay’s building had begun to suffer from termite damage. As the original church for the local ‘mish’, the building held continued significance for the nearby Gumbaynggirr community. This cultural importance helped secure a grant from Heritage Near Me to carry out urgent renovations.

With the support of the grant and our generous donors, Muurrbay successfully repaired the damaged timber work, repainted the entire building, and installed new drainage to protect it from damp. However, the roof tiles were found to be extremely brittle and fragile, and replacing the entire roof became a top priority.

Thanks to the incredible support of our community, we raised the $65,000 needed to replace the roof. The new roof has now been installed, completing a major stage in preserving this important heritage site.

This essential restoration work has ensured that Muurrbay can continue focusing on what it does best: revitalising the seven Aboriginal languages of the north coast of New South Wales. All our core funding goes toward language work, so support from donors was critical to achieving these building improvements.

We are deeply grateful to everyone who contributed. Your generosity has helped secure the future of this vital language centre and cultural landmark.