The community came together with representatives from Council and the NSW Government on Friday 20 October at Cooma North Ridge Reserve, marking the official unveiling of significant grant-funded upgrades and renovations.
Getting underway in 2022, this project designed and installed new wayfinding and informational signage at North Ridge Reserve. In addition to the new signs, this funding also saw walking trail damage repaired and restored.
Minister for Skills, TAFE and Tertiary Education and Member for Monaro Steve Whan and Snowy Monaro Mayor Chris Hanna spoke at the event, joined by members from Friends of North Ridge Reserve, the community and local media for the ceremony.
The newly re-opened Cooma North Ridge Reserve covers 124 hectares of unique natural environment, with six separate public trails running throughout the reserve for visitors and the community to enjoy.
Attendees enjoyed a guided tour through a small portion of North Ridge Reserve following the ceremony.
This project owes its success to the vision and advocacy of passionate local community members Louise Jenkins and Suzanne Dunning. Working with the Friends of Cooma North Ridge Reserve, Louise and Suzanne advocated for these improvements to signage and access. Their advocacy directly led to Council's grant application and the completed project unveiled on 20 October.
Speakers at the ceremony highlighted the importance of projects like these in helping communities recover from natural disasters, and of the quality of the end result.
The NSW Government provided $235,188 in funding for this rejuvenation of one the Snowy Monaro's most treasured public green spaces through the Resilience NSW Bushfire Community Recovery and Resilience Fund (BCRRF). The BCRRF is jointly funded through the Australian Government's Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements.
Led by Project Officer Dong Huynh and Council's Corporate Projects team, this project has been a collaboration between local and state government, community volunteers, and the s355 committee that oversees the reserve.
The results of this collaboration – a community space for recreation, exercise, and connecting with the natural world – show what can be achieved when the community and different levels of government work together to achieve a common aim.
Cooma North Ridge Reserve is home to over 180 different plant species and at least 80 species of birds. Iconic Australian animals including echidnas, wombats, wallaroos and sugar gliders are all found within this special place.
