ARAWATA PUBLIC HALL

The Arawata Public Hall, at 401 Fairbank Road, Arawata, designed by JJ Mundine and opened on 24 November 1936 (to replace the original hall), is significant. It is a simple interwar hall clad in bullnose weatherboards with a hipped roof and visible rafters, a separate hipped roof section at the west end containing the supper room, and a projecting gabled porch at the east end with paired timber entry doors. Other features at this site include multi-pane double hung timber windows, a centenary memorial cairn to the East of the hall, and the mature trees including Elms (Ulmus sp.) and Oaks (Quercus sp.). 
Internally, the building has an original coved ceiling with structural ties and a raised stage at one end. 
Non-original alterations and additions are not significant.

The Arawata Public Hall is of local historic, aesthetic and social significance to the South Gippsland Shire.

Historically, this is Arawata's second public hall and is one of two community buildings that demonstrate the development of the district in the early to mid-twentieth century. The rebuilding of the hall so soon after the original was destroyed by fire demonstrates the importance of public halls to isolated rural communities. (Criterion A) 
Aesthetically, it is an historic landmark within Arawata. The aesthetic values of the hall are enhanced by the mature trees, which provide a related setting. (Criterion E) 
It has social significance for its strong and enduring associations with the Arawata community through its continuous use as a hall for over 80 years, and the historic community attachment to this place is also demonstrated by the centenary memorial. Along with the nearby church it has played an important role in the development of the local community and is an integral part of the identity of the Arawata district. (Criterion G)