TWO major projects based in the Northern Grampians Shire have been funded in the Federal Budget handed down on Tuesday night.
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Both the Stawell Underground Physics Laboratory (SUPL) and the Grampians Peaks Trail will receive significant funding following the release of the budget.
Mayor, Cr Murray Emerson said council was excited and grateful to see the projects funded by the Federal government.
"We're very excited to be receiving further funding towards these two key projects for our shire," Cr Emerson said.
"Both the underground physics laboratory and the Peaks Trail will significantly boost the economy of our shire, one through jobs and the other through tourism.
"Projects like these provide the opportunity for us to do something completely different and it's pleasing to see this kind of innovation supported by the Federal government."
The Stawell Underground Physics Laboratory, a partnership between council, Melbourne University, the Australian Research Council's Centre of Excellence in Particle Physics, the National Institute for Nuclear Physics and Stawell mine owner Crocodile Gold, will see the construction of the first underground dark matter detection laboratory in the Southern Hemisphere, forming part of a network of major research laboratories around the globe.
Cr Emerson said the announcement of further funding brings the town of Stawell one step closer to being the home of a Nobel Prize-winning project.
"A great deal of hard work has gone into making this project a reality. It's a very exciting time for all involved."
When complete, the new Stawell Underground Physics Laboratory, located more than one kilometre below the surface in the current underground mine, will be the only one of its type in the Southern Hemisphere. It will be used for a wide range of sensitive physics and biomedical experiments, including research into 'dark matter'.
Development of the laboratory will build important links with the international scientific community for Stawell and Victoria.
The enterprise is already attracting interest from Gran Sasso Laboratory in Italy, the largest underground physics laboratory in the world.
The Grampians Peaks Trail will be a world class, long distance walking experience, showcasing the Grampians National Park's natural and cultural landscapes to an estimated 23,000 visitors per year by 2020.
The project involves construction of 144 kilometre walking trail through the Grampians National Park (Gariwerd) from Mount Zero in the north to the township of Dunkeld in the south.