Maldon gem receives a makeover

Porcupine Village managers Debra and Doug Baird are thrilled with the funding boost.
Porcupine Village managers Debra and Doug Baird are thrilled with the funding boost.

Maldon’s Porcupine Village is getting a major makeover in preparation for its reopening.
The 15 acre property was purchased by Melbourne businessman Frank Hutchinson back in December 2020 and he wasted no time putting Managers Doug and Debra Baird in place to bring the former local tourist attraction back to life.
The duo have hit the ground running since their appointment back in February 2021, bringing on board a talented troupe of local tradespeople to refurbish the caretaker’s residence, the property’s former restaurant space and motel accommodation.
The team are currently in the process of giving the village itself a makeover, installing new signage, clearing and redecorating building interiors and creating a new reception space, new entrance, and a dedicated new exit and gift shop in ‘Charlotte’s Barn’.
Work is also furiously underway to landscape the areas around the motel, entrance and surrounds. See the Mail for the full story. Out Now.

Lisa Dennis
Editor of the Castlemaine Mail newspaper and senior journalist on our sister paper the Midland Express. Over the last 24 years Lisa been proudly reporting news in the Mount Alexander and Macedon Ranges communities.