The Oxley Hall was built in 1875 by Robert Montgomery for the sum of £591/17/10d. The Hall was officially opened with a Grand Opening Ball, the first of many community celebrations held in the building.
The hall was used as the Council Chambers for the Oxley Shire until 1966. It is believed to be the oldest continually used community building in North-East Victoria.
Then by the mid 1970’s, the hall was virtually derelict and facing demolition. As new residents moved in to the Oxley township, its importance as a historical building and as a community meeting point was fully appreciated, so a campaign was commenced to save it.
In 1974, the facade of the building was classified as ‘worthy of preservation’ by the National Trust.
A local committee authorised by the Rural City of Wangaratta now manages and oversees the hall’s operations. In 1997 the main hall areas was restored and renovated. Further renovations saw the supper room and kitchen re-built in 2002 and in 2005 the meeting room was extended and internal toilets were built.
The restoration works have been made possible through grants from the State and Federal Governments and the Rural City of Wangaratta, as well as continual community fund raising (in particular the Oxley Bush Market) and thousands of hours of volunteer labour.
