September 8th, 2025Phoenix on The Block
Daylesford is about to be lit up as it gets national exposure for its new civic heartbeat.
Having raised an astonishing $70,000 in just six months, the district is readying for its community theatre which will be featured over two nights (September 8 and 9) on the high-rating TV show The Block.
Now known as the Phoenix @ The Rex, this theatre is a cultural gem rising from the ashes.
Work on the 73-seat theatre was greatly helped by contestants on The Block.
Over four weeks the theatre will be showcased in “Lights Up Daylesford: Phoenix Rising” as organisers plan a range of fundraisers from raffles to market entry donations, a gala dinner, a magic and jazz show, and more.
Sponsorships and memberships will be accepted in this latest wave, with a focus also on community engagement, both interactive and digital before, during and after the TV shows.
A Phoenix Party with the second night’s TV screening will be featured at Hepburn’s recently reopened Savoia Hotel.
Short videos will be screened of volunteers, locals and artists telling why the Phoenix is so important.
This beautiful Spanish colonial-style building was designed by the same people who created Melbourne’s famous Regent Theatre. The Rex first opened in 1929 and entertained locals for over three decades before closing in 1963 when TV became popular. Although the building then had other uses, the community brought a smaller cinema back to life there in 2013.
It was housed in The Rex Arcade, a private shopping mall, but was left without a home after The Rex was bought by the council in 2016.
The council wanted to use the venue as a community hub to include a new library, customer service centre, public toilets and staff accommodation. But this fell through and the building was sold to private owners in 2022. In spite of this setback, the incorporated Daylesford Community Centre continued following the 2017 closure to resurrect a community cinema that had proved to be such a valued part of Daylesford and now looks to the future. Words: Contributed
