What started as a whisper around town has now, three years later, been confirmed.

The Free Press can confirm the golden arches of McDonald’s have begun the process of coming to Kyabram, intending to take over the vacant 255-273 Allan St property.

On Monday, May 19, McDonald’s Australia Limited submitted an application to Campaspe Shire Council for a permit for the “construction of a McDonald’s convenience restaurant with drive-thru”.

In a statement to the Free Press, McDonald’s Australia further confirmed its intentions to come to Kyabram.

“For more than 50 years, Macca’s has been a proud member of Australian communities providing hundreds of local jobs and supporting local community groups,” a spokesperson for McDonald’s Australia said.

“We are always looking for opportunities to better serve our customers and communities and see strong potential in Kyabram.

“If approved, the proposed McDonald’s in Kyabram would create more than 220 local jobs for construction workers and restaurant employees, create opportunities for community partnerships and sponsorships, and involve an investment of approximately $5 million.

“We will work with council on feedback as part of the development application process.”

It seems rumours of a McDonald’s coming to town have been swirling for as long as most people can remember, with the Free Press first reporting on the whispers in 2022.

McDonald’s restaurant licensee Scott Moller told the Free Press at the time that when McDonald’s decided on a potential restaurant development, “they moved very swiftly”.

In 2024, a council spokesperson said the planning application permit for 255-257 Allan St was “at the final stage of review”, and Christopher Simes, a developer at Moama Plaza, confirmed the application was made by a “multinational food brand”.

Mr Simes told the Free Press that it has been a long journey to getting Kyabram it’s McDonald’s fix.

“It’s been about two to three years of back and forth with council and McDonald’s,” he said.

He said the chain coming to town would open a plethora of opportunities for the community, including employment options for young people and creating safe areas to meet at night, not to mention more food and drink options at all hours.

“(McDonald’s) want to commit a million dollars to put (their) brand in town because (they) believe that it will work for the benefit of the town, and it will bring more people into town,” Mr Simes said.

“This is going to be a place (people) can go before or after events to sit down and chat, relax and celebrate,” he said.

Mr Simes said if the permit application process ran smoothly, he believed the store would be open before December, as most McDonald’s stores take generally 17 weeks to build.

The Kyabram restaurant will be the first to open in the region since 2023 in Moama, with the franchise already having two locations in Shepparton, and one in each of Mooroopna and Echuca.

The status of the McDonald’s application was “compliant” as of Thursday, May 22.

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