The general manager said The Wellington Caves have been Wellington's most popular tourist attraction for

decades. But the Caves Complex has suffered losses reaching up to $500,000 per annum.

''Consequently, the Wellington Council over the last 2 years have engaged in some

significant reviews of operation, and alternative business practices have been

introduced.'' Mr Tolhurst said .The complex lost $200,000, in 2013/14 ' which equates to a significant improvement against previous performance.'' The general manager said

: " We are on track to make an even better improvement moving forward." he said

"Unfortunately the change process has resulted in some staff turnover and this has been detrimental to the services being provided at the complex over the last several months" Mr Tolhurst said.

Currently the Wellington Council has a tender advertised for a cleaning and maintenance contract of the Caravan Park. The Wellington Council have also undergone significant work to apply for funding for physical improvements at the Wellington Caves complex for visitors and for the community. The Wellington Council has successfully secured $900,000 in funding so far from Infrastructure New South Wales and from New South Wales

Department of Trade and Investment to undertake these works, with work projected to commence in March 2015 and continue over the subsequent 12 months.

The general manager also talked about the Oxley Museum which has been the subject of hot speculation on social media.

The general manager explained Wellington Council is currently undertaking a review of all its assets in preparation for the June 2015 Fit for the Future submission. As part of its review, Council is looking at the Oxley Museum building; currently the premises does not meet the requirements of the Building Code of Australia (BCA) for a public access building. The necessary work required to bring the building in line with the BCA for a public access building is approximately $750,000. The council its not feasible to come up with the money for it.

The collection at the Oxley Museum is owned in its entirety by the Wellington Historical

Society Incorporated, which have met with members of the Council and the General

Manager, Michael Tolhurst about the long term future of the building.

General Manager, Michael Tolhurst, said: 'The Historical Society Incorporated have been

very effective in documenting the collection and should be commended."

Over the last several months council has worked closely with the Wellington Historical

Society Incorporated to develop a submission to the Museums and Galleries of NSW to

receive a substantial grant to formulate a Strategic Plan for the collection. The objective

of this plan will be to develop a path enabling the Oxley Museum to continue its strong

conservation and collection management. The Strategic Plan will have a primary focus

on the long term sustainability of the collection. This will include examining options for

alternative locations, provisions for improved displays and the consideration of obtaining

a higher level of visitation.

The Wellington Historical Society Incorporation will be informed by December 2014

whether their submission for funding is successful. It will be under the guidance of the

Strategic Plan that council in conjunction with the Wellington Historical Society will look at

other buildings that are more suitable for the current collection. The Old Police Station has

been discussed as a potential option.

" The Wellington Historical Society has a very strong collection which links in well with the

history and heritage of Wellington, something which has not been capitalised on as a

tourist asset. With a new location and a fresh perspective assisted by the Strategic Plan;

The Museum can be an exciting addition to our range of tourist attractions," Mr Tolhurst