GENERAL Manager of Coffs Harbour City Council (CHCC), the recently appointed Natalia Cowley, sought to get a flavour of her jurisdiction, the lay of the land of the LGA, early on in her new role.

“Natalia has made it very clear she wants to hit the ground running,” Mayor Paul Amos told News Of The Area, who tasked himself with setting up a day trip to take in some LGA highspots, developments, hidden gems and importantly, local communities.

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“This whirlwind tour was aimed at accelerating the understanding of some of the geography, Council-held assets and issues in our LGA,” said Mr Amos.

With Deputy Mayor Sally Townley accompanying them, they set off early on Friday 8 July, six days into Natalia’s tenure, heading south from Coffs.

“I feel like I have arrived in paradise,” Natalia told NOTA, who has bought a property locally in the LGA.

“Our morning started with a visit to Bonville’s large lot of residential and yet undeveloped residential areas.

“We briefly visited a hidden picnic gem at Bongil Bongil National Park and on our way to Sawtell, via Toormina, I saw and heard about the purpose of the koala corridors.

“We then made our way to the Big4 Sawtell Beach Holiday Park, followed by Dolmans Point, and recharged with great local coffee and pastries, while stopping by the Sawtell Rock Pool and then the Velodrome.

“On our drive back to Coffs, we visited the Enterprise Park and drove by Council’s depot, Sewerage Treatment Plant and saw the new animal shelter.

“Next, our tour took us to the beautiful and historic Jetty Foreshores and Park Beach renewals areas, which were very busy with people.

“We got a helicopter view of the Bypass corridor through an elevated location in West Korora, after which we made our way to Moonee, Sandy and Emerald Beaches and we were lucky to see breaching whales and kangaroos on one of our walks.

“Next were the Woolgoolga Pool and Bike Path, followed by a tour of the work-in-progress at the Wiigulga Sports Complex,” said Natalia.

Dan Heather, Section Leader, Stadium and Major Events at Coffs Harbour City Council, gave the group an overview of this key development for the LGA, after which the group visited Red Rock and Corindi.

In Nana Glen, the village’s movers and shakers Alison Johnson, owner of the Idle In café, and Ian Flood, sat down with the Council officials for a cuppa and chat.

They had a list of important issues they wanted to put on Council’s radar.

Duly delivered, the conversation turned to the joys of living in this beautiful LGA while understanding the vulnerabilities of the far-flung villages to natural disasters.

“Nana Glen is one village in a string that makes up the Orara Valley,” Alison told NOTA.

“We were pleased to see the Mayor, Deputy and new GM make the time to visit their broader LGA and acknowledge that the LGA extends further than just the beachside towns.

“I appreciate the time they spent listening to a few of our concerns and suggestions regarding safe pathways, bus shelters and the upgrade of our local Nana Glen tennis court.

“The new General Manager seemed to show genuine interest.

“We look forward to working with the new Council team to see some improvements in facilities and safety in Nana Glen and hope this is not the last time we see them drop in for a coffee,” said Alison.

Deputy Mayor Sally Townley told NOTA, “It’s been a great day, very informal.

“It’s good to have free-ranging conversations and to take a tour of at least part of our beautiful LGA.

“We’re so excited to have this new GM and it feels like the beginning of a new era for our area.

“We didn’t get into the hinterland areas of Lowanna and Ulong but hope to do another trip soon to include those areas,” she said.

“It couldn’t have been a better day,” said Natalia.

Two days before her official start in the job, there was the opening of the Glasshouse in the Botanic Gardens, which Mayor Paul invited Natalia to.

“I was very lucky to be able to go along to the opening; I heard some of the amazing stories about unique and carnivorous plants and saw some beautiful red lipstick palms.

“The Botanic Gardens are another beautiful gem of Coffs Harbour and I encourage all your readers and visitors to the area to pay them a visit.

“The staff and volunteers are passionately knowledgeable and will make any visit memorable.

“Everybody has been so helpful and so sharing,” said Natalia.

By Andrea FERRARI