UPGRADING and beautification works at Woolgoolga Lakeside Reserve are planned following the long awaited announcement of $108,900 in State Government funding for the area.

State Member for Coffs Harbour Gurmesh Singh met with Woolgoolga Lake Working Group members on Friday 24 September to make the announcement, which has been postponed twice due to COVID-19 lockdown restrictions.

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The funding from the NSW Government’s Infrastructure Grants Program will be used for the redevelopment and enhancement of the Woolgoolga Lakeside Reserve picnic area.

“The grant’s been a long time coming; this is third time lucky for this announcement,” Woolgoolga Lake Working Group secretary Karen Dallas said.

Mr Singh said the grant will deliver big improvements to the popular reserve picnic area.

“I congratulate the dedicated and passionate members of the Woolgoolga Lake Working Group on their successful application and I look forward to seeing the transformation of this picturesque place,” he said.

“The redevelopment of the Woolgoolga Lakeside Reserve picnic area will include new paths, picnic area settings, a renovated barbecue area, shelters, beach shower, bottle refill and bike racks.

“It will connect the play space to the water, use the natural shade of the park and provide a much-needed safe, inviting and accessible area.”

Karen intends to dedicate one of the new seats at the reserve to her father and Woolgoolga Lake Working Group president Bill Buckless, who has been working hard on getting the picnic area upgraded ever since 2009.

The area is somewhat of a hidden gem, utilised mostly by locals and tourists who regularly visit the nearby Woolgoolga Lakeside Holiday Park.

Woolgoolga Lake Working Group members recently completed rock stabilisation works around the lake and have been working with Southern Cross University on water quality testing of the lake, and a new children’s playground has been installed at the picnic area.

Mr Singh said the Woolgoolga Lake Working Group is a strident advocate for the conservation of our natural environment with a long-term vision to revive Woolgoolga Lake.

“I applaud the working group members for the many hours they spend enhancing the local area for all to enjoy, and for their contributions to making our community an even better place to live,” he said.

“The revamp of the Woolgoolga Lakeside Reserve picnic area exemplifies the importance of community infrastructure and helping local organisations to continue to serve our community.”

Woolgoolga Lake Working Group secretary Karen Dallas thanked Mr Singh for his support of the project and of the group.

The group now intends to meet with Coffs Harbour City Council, who will manage the project, to further fine tune the project’s design.

Work on the project is expected to start in the new year and the upgrade is planned to be ready by December 2022.

By Emma DARBIN