The replica mining poppet head erected at the front of the Comfort Inn Goldfields on the Western Highway has been condemned by Northern Grampians Shire Council surveyors and will be taken down for safety reasons.

Comfort Inn Goldfields owners had initially made contact with council enquiring if any grants could be available to restore the landmark, which was erected at the site in 1980.

However, upon inspection, the structure was deemed unsafe and it was ordered that it be removed from the front of the property.

It is not yet known how the poppet head will be dismantled, but the original wheels that sit at the top will be retained on the premises in some form.

The poppet head was erected in January 1980 and at the time, it caused many of the town's older residents to ask how long it had been since one had gone up in Stawell.

Two large mobile cranes were used to lift the legs, which had been prefabricated on the ground, into position while they were locked and bolted into place.

The poppet head, which features a pair of genuine wheels secured in Bendigo by the Goldfields directors at the time, were put in place to make it a landmark of the Western Highway, then known as Highway 8.

While staff at the Comfort Inn Goldfields admit it will be sad to see the 34 year old structure disappear, there are definite plans to ensure at least the genuine wheels remain to create another landmark at the site.