Tuesday afternoon saw four packed groups of community members tour the new Community Health Centre, but in a sneak peak beforehand, the Times got the lay of the land.

Watch our video walkthrough here:

The modernised, open, clean and calming space reflects the future of medicine while keeping original elements like the skirting boards, pillar curvature, dappled windows and the horse-hair ceiling - the last just for show.

READ ALSO

"The ceiling has been kept but it was a little decrepit in some parts, so there has been a functional ceiling installed below it," facility planner for the Local Health District Shirley Graham explained.

But it hasn't taken away from the vaulted ceilings, with ducted air-conditioning throughout the entirety of the building.

Aside from the aesthetics and tributes, the facility offers adult ambulatory care, including mental health services, women's and children's services, oral health, chronic disease treatment programs and allied health - just to name a few.

This is the first time in Inverell's history that all of its primary and allied health services are all together in the one building.

Bob Bensley has been keeping his finger on the pulse over the course of the whole project.

Seeing inside on Tuesday was the icing on a very long cake in the making - but worth it.

"They gave me a tour about eight weeks ago - there were ladders, plaster, and it was already promising to be something out of the box, and I've been holding my breath for the last 24 hours," he laughed.

"It's very impressive as far as I'm concerned. Even now I don't think we've seen the best of it because we haven't seen all the equipment in there - but I know I'll get to find out because my next appointment is in just a few days time."

He said the opening would be a great push to enlighten the Inverell community just what services the Sapphire City had to offer.

"I've got a theory about this place. I've been going to the Community Health Centre as I've gotten older, and I more and more get convinced that half the population or more don't know how many great services are here," he explained.

"Hopefully this will help towards that. At least people know they are here. It can lead to so many good results."

At 12pm, the old hospital was officially cleansed in a traditional smoking ceremony officiated by Kelvin Brown.

He said there were a few spirits in the old hospital that had to be gotten rid of to encourage the brand new start of the facility.

CLICK HERE TO RECEIVE EMAILS FEATURING THE BEST LOCAL NEWS AND STORIES, AS WELL AS OUR BREAKING NEWS ALERTS

"I came here as a patient, and returning now for the ceremony, it's just great to see it," he said.

Community Health manager Belinda Robinson told of the staff's excitement to move in on Friday.

"Community health staff will move in on Friday to this new facility from the old facility down the hill, and our staff are looking forward to it very much," she enthused.

"It's been a long journey to get from where we first started to where we are now, and it's very nice to have a modern, state of the art building to work in."

They will open on Monday, and are gearing up to welcome their first patients in."

"I can't wait really."

For nurse unit manager Tiffany Ehsman, who has been working at community health for 10 years, said it was a big change that everyone "is feeling very positive about".

"It will be a great place for our staff to provide care for our clients, a wonderful place for our staff to work, and it's really nice that we've got the history of the hospital here," she said.

"We've got the history and we are providing modern medicine care. It's very exciting for us - it really is."

Facility planner for the local Health District Shirley Graham loves the new centre, how it's come full circle since the 1880s.

"It's fantastic, because in 1880, the rehab building was the original hospital, and then they've flipped the entrance around and then this was the entrance to the original hospital, and now we've flipped that around again, and I think it's fantastic we've got this old building resurrected, and we have two services blended together," she said.

"It's about staff safety, patient safety, patient experience.

"Plus the colours are fantastic - it's a nice filter, I mean you go into the building and you feel calm. The aesthetics makes you feel calm."

Tim O'Shannessy, engineer for the project, was keen to show the completed work to the community, with the excitement of a school boy showing a project to his parents.

"We've been here for nearly three years, with the first stage and this stage, so it's nice to see something come to the community, that we can open it up and everyone can see what you've been working on for the last couple of years," he said.

"The responses have been so far, from users and stakeholders, has been really, really good. Everyone appreciates it - it's a good, functional building."

Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can access our trusted content: