Work needed on 147 trees, but parts of Machattie Park could reopen soon

Machattie Park closed on November 9, 2023 in response to the overwhelming number of flying foxes, also known as bats, roosting in the trees.

The trees had been damaged to the point that large limbs were falling from the canopy, and Bathurst Regional Council felt the safety risk was too significant to allow people to use the park.

In January, 2024, a specialist consulting arborist was engaged by the council to assess the trees, which determined 147 trees would need some sort of remediation to make the park safe.

Now, the council has determined its next steps.

So long as the flying foxes are using trees as their habitat, Bathurst council is not allowed to conduct any work to the trees that might disturb them.

However, there are parts of Machattie Park that don't appear to be occupied by the bats, and this is where the council will focus its efforts.

These locations include part of the park adjacent to William Street and a section of the George Street and Russell Street corner of the park.

The council believes work could be under taken in these areas without significant disturbance to the flying fox colony, should numbers remain at current levels.

The work, due to start in early March, would come at a cost of $30,000, to be funded within council's existing 2023/24 Operational Plan.

If the first stage of tree remediation work is able to successfully occur in these areas, council says it is likely that parts of Machattie Park, including Begonia House and the fernery, could reopen.

Mayor Jess Jennings said this was great news, however, he flagged other parts of the park where the flying foxes are roosting will remain shut for much longer.

"A section of Machattie Park will have to remain closed for now within the area where the flying fox camp is currently roosting," he said.

"Significant tree remediation work in this area will not be able to commence until the flying fox colony departs Bathurst for the winter."

Funding to undertake the restoration of the remaining trees within the park will be subject to the council's deliberations on the draft budget for 2024-25.

Flying foxes began to return to Machattie Park around spring of 2023, with significant numbers spotted in the park in September.

Over the next two months, the population exploded.

The most recent estimate prior to the park's closure was 5000 flying foxes, but a count under taken the day after the area was roped off determined the numbers to be 20,000 or more.

The council's manager of recreation, Mark Kimbel, said this was "the largest camp population experienced in Machattie Park since they originally arrival in the park around 2017".