The City of Rockingham’s Mary Davies Library and Community Facility has reported a successful first year of operation.
The site was named after a Freeman of the City of Rockingham, Mary Davies, who was a resident for 80 years and was often referred to as a walking library.
Sadly, Davies passed away a few months prior to the opening.
The facility has fast become a popular community hub for the Baldivis community, attracting more than 168,000 visitors and over 7000 new library members.
Located at the Baldivis Town Centre on Settlers Avenue, the facility combines a library and community centre in a single design with connecting spaces.
This enables a diverse range of activities, including a Child Health Nurse; a monthly bookclub for primary school students; and seniors’ computer classes run by local school students.
The library also has two media hubs equipped with the latest technology; a children and parents’ area; a teenage space with gaming stations; computer training room; and plenty of quiet spaces for readers.
The community centre features meeting rooms and a function hall.
The building has been designed to reflect the heritage of the Baldivis area and represents three farmhouses under a tree canopy.
Construction of the facility took just over a year and cost a total of $11.5million.
The project was welcomed by the Baldivis community, one of the fastest growing regions in Australia with a growth rate of about 15 percent.
The project attracted support from the Australian Government Regional Development Australia Fund, which provided $5.5million; Lotterywest, which provided $1.3million; and Stockland Limited which provided $350,000 to the project.
