Birchmore Group has lodged plans for a major new hotel and retail development at Junction Place in Wodonga, Victoria.
The proposal, named Station Square and formally known as Site 1, covers a 6,150 square metre parcel on the corner of Elgin Boulevard and High Street.
The development application calls for a 160-room hotel accompanied by a suite of ground-floor activations, including a 24-hour check-in lobby, café and bar facilities, function and event spaces, health and wellness amenities, and two commercial tenancies available for retail operators.
Junction Place is a long-running precinct renewal initiative in Wodonga’s city centre delivered in partnership between Development Victoria and Wodonga Council.
The broader project has progressively transformed a former industrial and underutilised corridor near the Wodonga railway station into a vibrant mixed-use destination, with earlier stages delivering public open space, residential development, and community facilities.
Landscape architecture for Station Square has been designed by DKO Architecture, with plans incorporating street-level planting along Elgin Boulevard and High Street, as well as green links integrated across the ground plane and upper levels of the building.
The landscaping strategy is designed to connect with and enhance the adjoining public open spaces that form part of the broader Junction Place precinct.
Prior to lodging the application, Birchmore undertook a structured community engagement process, receiving detailed feedback from the Community Reference Group (CRG), Development Victoria and Wodonga Council.
The consultation reflects an increasing emphasis by both government and private developers in regional Victoria on meaningful community input before planning applications are formalised.
Birchmore Group Managing Director Andrew Peters said: “The hotel will be a major drawcard for Wodonga, and will activate the ground floor, nearby green spaces and the existing retail, culminating in a highly engaged and active space that fosters growth, tourism and community engagement.”
With planning approval expected to progress in the coming months, Rodger Powell from Tourism & Hospitality Services Australia (THSA) will lead a Request for Proposal process with a select group of hotel operators to secure an operator for the new facility.
Wodonga sits on the Murray River and serves as the Victorian gateway to the Riverina region of New South Wales, with the twin city of Albury directly across the border.
The area attracts significant visitor traffic year-round, underpinned by its role as a regional service hub, its proximity to alpine tourism destinations, and growing food and wine tourism along the Rutherglen corridor.
Wodonga currently has limited four-star or above hotel accommodation options relative to its size and visitor numbers, a gap that Station Square is positioned to address.
The addition of 160 rooms is expected to support the city’s capacity to host conferences, events, and sporting fixtures that currently require delegates to seek accommodation in Albury.
Minister for Development Victoria and Precincts Jaclyn Symes said: “Junction Place has already transformed this part of Wodonga, and this next stage will create more opportunities for local businesses, supporting tourism and delivering a vibrant destination for residents and visitors.”
Station Square joins a pipeline of projects progressively filling out the Junction Place master plan, with the hotel expected to generate both construction employment and ongoing hospitality jobs once operational.
The ground-floor retail tenancies will add further commercial activation to the precinct, complementing existing businesses in and around Wodonga’s High Street.
