A SPECTACULAR water feature being mooted for the major gateway to Bathurst from Sydney is set to have the wow factor all over it.
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If the project becomes a reality, and it is highly likely it will, the spectacular, geyser-like feature will be located in the vicinity of the Evans Bridge, beside the busy Great Western Highway.
Bathurst Regional Council is investigating what it would take to bring the project to fruition and has pencilled-in $50,000 for the initiative in its 2016-17 budget as a “parks special item”.
It’s a project that has mayor Gary Rush excited.
He told the Western Advocate his intention is to go for a “big is best” water feature that makes an impact as visitors drive into town.
“We want the water feature to have that wow factor written all over it,” he said.
“I can tell you our idea is to ensure it is big. For instance, if the tallest water feature in the state spouts up to 10 metres high, ours will be at least 11 metres.
“The whole idea came about when I was talking to former real estate agent John Ireland who told me the late, former mayor Les Wardman originally came up with the concept many years ago, but it didn’t progress any further.
“My intention is to make it become a reality because something like this has so much to offer. The model we would be looking at comes off similar water features that are at Lake Burley Griffin in Canberra, but there is still a lot of investigating and research to be done before we might settle on anything in concrete.”
Cr Rush said he believes many residents would be supportive of having a giant water feature at the major gateway to the city.
“It would be a show of Bathurst’s solid water security and highlight the Macquarie River and the reason why our city was settled in the first place because we do have water and could grow lots of different things back in those very early days, just as we still do today,” he said.
“It would also be a symbolic feature of Bathurst’s prosperity and leave a lasting imprint on people’s memory when they drive into town.”
At this stage, Cr Rush said the water feature would be located on the side of the highway opposite Learmonth Park and on the Kelso side of the Evans Bridge on land that council already owns there.
“The water could be reticulated so there’s no waste and there may also be scope to develop a recreational focus in that precinct with natural habitat to attract birdlife into that area around the feature,” he said.
