The transition to 9 Hillview Drive has been about two years in the making.

Dr Stuart Williams, clinic principal and a senior veterinary surgeon, said there was a strong need to expand to meet the growth of the area.

“Murrumbateman is growing and people move out here for lifestyle reasons, which include having animals,” Dr Williams said. “Horses and big dogs, for example.

“They like animals. So we just needed to do a better job in meeting their needs.

During its early days, the clinic did not open full-time until about five years ago.

“When I first arrived, we just did basic surgeries and had only one consult room,” he said. 

“We weren’t able to give our patients the care they needed.

“They had to go back and forth between here and Yass all the time.”

Comparing it with the Yass Valley Veterinary facility, the new one is about 50 per cent larger in footprint.

“That’s because of regulation as well,” he said.

“We needed a toilet for people with disabilities; and a separate dog ward and cat ward.”

The site also has additional consult rooms.

“We’ve got two dog consult rooms and a cat consult room. There is also a euthanasia room,” he said.

Compared with the previous location, the new one also has space for large animals, including stables for horses.

The work of the new site began when Dr Williams collaborated with a local draftsperson.

“She does some work for me at home and she and I got together to design this place after this block of land was bought,” Dr Williams said.

He said the location was also a positive.

“It’s really fantastic. We’re very lucky when it came up. As soon as I saw it, I said it was great,” he said.

Asked about the transition to the new site, receptionist Emma Franklin, who has been with the veterinary clinic for about 18 months, said it had been a positive change.

“Everything’s going pretty well so far with the setup and transition,” she said.

Yass Valley Veterinary has been in operation for the past three decades, initially begun by Yass resident and Rotary Club member Peter Gibbs. He led the building of the original Murrumbateman clinic.

Dr Williams said it had been open for about two to three years before he came on board.

As for now, a few minor touches still remain to be completed.

“We’re still completing the fencing, but nearly everything is done now,” Dr Williams said.