NSW Premier visits Eugowra, inspects Lake Canobolas upgrade
NSW Premier Chris Minns joined Minister for Emergency Services Jihad Dib and Member for Orange Phil Donato in Eugowra on Tuesday to update the community on the joint Commonwealth and State Government $100 million Central West Recovery and Resilience Package.
“We know people just want to get back into their homes, that’s why flood recovery remains a key priority for the NSW Government,” the Premier said.
“This is not about a simple fix, it’s a concerted effort making sure that communities in the Central West can build back stronger and an acknowledgement that the NSW Government is standing with them for the long-haul.”
Premier Minns said they are committed to ensuring the community remains at the centre of recovery efforts and that community consultation sessions across flood-affected communities of the Central West will begin in February, ensuring local community members have the opportunity to influence the design of the $40 million housing program.
The program could offer a range of products to eligible households, including raisings and retrofits to floodproof existing dwellings as well as buybacks and relocations.
$57 million of the funding will be used for a Community Asset Program and a Regional Transport Resilience Fund that will see vital transport infrastructure like bridges and flood crossings replaced and roads improved.
Both programs will focus on building back better to ensure communities are better prepared in the face of natural disasters.
Before leaving the Central West, the Premier stopped by Lake Canobolas to inspect the progress of the $1.3 million upgrade, which is being funded by the NSW Government, Orange City Council and Cadia Valley Operations,
Since works began in June 2023, retaining walls with built-in paths have been constructed to make the lake’s two beaches more accessible and the playground on the eastern side of the lake has been replaced with more modern accessible play equipment.
The internal roads between the lake and the café have been realigned and a new lawn and shade structures have been installed.
New, accessible amenities blocks are still to be built alongside the new playground and on the western side of the lake, as is the 2.5-metre-wide, wheelchair-accessible floating boardwalk on the western shore.
Orange Mayor Jason Hamling said he was pleased to have the opportunity to share progress on the upgrade with the Premier.
“This upgrade of Lake Canobolas is going to make what is already a very popular spot for Orange families even more attractive,” Cr Hamling said.
The list of projects was developed after community engagement and the grant application for the upgrade was supported by a number of community groups who regularly use the lake.