The abandoned Illawarra office block set for $15m transformation into multicultural hub
The former Water Board site in Coniston has been vacant since 2022
For years, it stood dormant. A vast 1.31-hectare site in Coniston, stripped of purpose and quietly deteriorating behind closed doors. Offices lay abandoned, data rooms sat silent, and kitchen fridges remained as they were left, frozen in time by the building’s last occupants.
Once a bustling base for the Metropolitan Water Board and later the Superannuation Administration Corporation, the property had been vacant since 2022.
By the time the Multicultural Communities Council of Illawarra took ownership in December 2025, it was little more than an empty shell, its former life evident only in the desks, chairs and infrastructure left behind.
Now, it is being reimagined through an ambitious $15 million vision — a bold, all-in investment to transform the site into a landmark multicultural hub for the Illawarra.
In a period when many organisations are downsizing or rethinking their physical footprint, MCCI is moving in the opposite direction, consolidating, expanding and embedding itself more deeply in the region through the creation of the Illawarra Regional Multicultural Centre.
The project will bring together services currently spread across multiple locations into a single, strategically located hub, while also delivering long-overdue community infrastructure, including large-scale event space, training facilities and a commercial kitchen designed to support cultural gatherings.
MCCI Chief Executive Officer Chris Lacey said the development is grounded in years of engagement with the community.
“It started with a genuine community need,” Mr Lacey said. “We did a lot of consultation with the associations in the region, who told us that this was what they needed.”
Behind the project is a deliberate funding strategy that saw combine external funding with its own assets and long-term financial planning. Rather than relying solely on government support, the organisation consolidated properties it already owned, including its heritage building in Corrimal Street, and reinvested the proceeds into the project, demonstrating what Mr Lacey described as a commitment to “putting skin in the game”.
Since settling the acquisition just two days before Christmas, the organisation has moved quickly to bring the dormant building back online.
“We only settled the acquisition two days before Christmas … and the last two-and-a-half months has been about getting the basic infrastructure of the building up and running again,” Mr Lacey said.
Works to date have focused on restoring essential systems, including air-conditioning, electrical and building access, while staff have begun transitioning into the site in stages.
“By the end of April, we will have client service delivery happening from the site.”
Beyond service delivery, the centre is set to address a persistent gap in the Illawarra, the lack of accessible, affordable venues for multicultural organisations.
Plans for the building’s long-term include a community gathering space, a gym, and office space, meaning the centre becomes a one-stop shop for all of MCCI’s 65 member organisations, 175 staff and more than 100 volunteers.
The full redevelopment is expected to be completed by around April 2027, subject to planning and construction timelines.
In announcing $5 million in funding for the centre, Federal Member for Cunningham Alison Byrnes said securing appropriate space has long been a challenge.
“We know that many local multicultural groups struggle to find spaces to hold their many colourful and engaging community events, and I am really pleased that they will now have a new home in the Illawarra Regional Multicultural Centre,” she said.
“The Illawarra showcases the best of modern Australia; we’re proudly multicultural, and our CALD communities contribute so much to our vibrant social fabric. This Centre will be a lasting community asset that reflects the diversity, pride and strength of our region.”
MCCI Chair Tom Burgess said the milestone reflects years of disciplined growth and strategic positioning.
“We’ve had a lot of work over many years by our committees and our boards and our CEO getting us to this point,” Mr Burgess said.