08/07/2026
Central Goldfields Shire Council has been accused of turning its back on Carisbrook after issuing a notice demanding the Carisbrook Town Hall Market stop operating from the town hall immediately.
The letter says Council will not grant an agreement for the market’s continued occupation and requires the operator to remove property and vacate the premises within eight weeks, by Thursday, 27 August.
For many locals, the decision has landed like a slap in the face. The market has operated for years, brought people into Carisbrook, supported the Carisbrook Historical Society, and helped keep the hall active rather than sitting idle.
Written by Council's Coordinator of Strategic Property and Facilities Management, Sam Thomas, the letter claims the hall, at 19 Bucknall Street, is Crown land permanently reserved for town hall purposes under the Crown Land (Reserves) Act 1978.
But that explanation has raised more questions than answers. The former Tullaroop Shire was abolished more than 30 years ago, and Central Goldfields Shire Council now holds its monthly meetings in Maryborough, not Carisbrook.
If the building is supposedly reserved for town hall purposes, locals are entitled to ask what that actually means in 2026.
The bigger issue is simple: who is Council working for? Because from the public reaction, many residents no longer feel it is them, given the market benefits the community and brings visitors, spending, and life into the town.
Others have asked whether Council has another plan for the building, whether it will be left effectively empty, or whether this is the start of something else entirely.
There is also frustration that the decision appears to have come from an unelected officer rather than through a public, community-led discussion.
Let's not forget that Council staff are public servants. They are paid by the community and are supposed to serve the community, not rule over it from behind a letterhead.
Some residents have questioned whether Council even has the full legal authority it appears to be asserting over Crown land, while others have urged the market organisers to seek legal advice and lobby councillors and state MPs.
The mood online has been overwhelmingly angry, with many accusing Council of being out of touch, bureaucratic and hostile to Carisbrook.
Several have also linked the decision to councils in general losing sight of their core purpose, making life harder for community groups, while spending ratepayers' money on political agendas, consultants, and bureaucracy.
The councillor for Tullaroop Ward, which includes Carisbrook, Anna de Villiers, does not appear to have made a public statement on the decision at the time of writing.
For Carisbrook, this is not just about a market. It is about whether small towns are still allowed to build something of their own without being crushed by paperwork, titles, and council control.
And right now, many locals are asking the same heartbreaking question: why would Council want to stop one of the few things still bringing people through the doors?
