There were even a few children dancing on the steps of the Court House.

The illuminations are on every evening between sundown and 10pm at the Court House, 84 George Street, Tremain's Mill, 99 Keppel Street, 173 George Street, Bathurst Regional Art Gallery and Doppio.

Some residents are also taking part in Brighten up Bathurst region where they have lit up their houses with decorative lights.

They will be on from sundown to 10pm each night of the festival. The following addresses are participating:

Over the school holidays, why not pack some snacks, load the kids in the car and make a night of seeing our beautiful city lit up.

Ben Chifley

NEXT week, council will acknowledge the 75th anniversary of Ben Chifley becoming prime minister. Joseph Benedict Chifley, or Ben as he is known, was a resident of Bathurst who rose from politician to become the 16th prime minister of Australia.

He was born at Bathurst in 1885 and maintained his connections with our city until the end of his life.

Our community is lucky to have Ben Chifley's house, one of the few remaining former homes of an Australian prime minister that is so well preserved.

Chifley Home remains temporarily closed due to current restrictions.

Wambuul sign

A SIGN was recently unveiled at Bicentennial Park near the Macquarie River with information on the history of the Wiradyuri people and the site's significance to their community.

The creation of the Aboriginal ceremonial site at Wambuul occurred in 2015 as part of Bathurst's bicentennial celebrations.

The site is a significant marker for the retelling of an inclusive history of Bathurst and remains an active ceremonial ground used by the Wiradyuri and other nation groups.

Dam levels

AS of July 7, Chifley Dam was at 39.2 per cent capacity and Winburndale was at 86.8 per cent capacity.

It is still very important that we continue to be water wise and save water where we can.

For more information, visit www.bathurst.nsw.gov.au/waterrestrictions

THE people of NSW have done an incredible job to help stop the spread of COVID-19, allowing us to open up our economy.

The outbreak of cases we are seeing in Victoria is putting these gains at risk.

NSW will temporarily shut its border with Victoria to contain the spread of COVID-19 and to protect the health and jobs of NSW citizens.

The closure became effective from 12.01am on Wednesday, July 8 and follows the concerning spread of COVID-19 in Melbourne.

The decision was made after Premier Berejiklian consulted with the NSW chief health officer, the Prime Minister and Victorian Premier Dan Andrews.

We do not take this step lightly, but have always said we will do what we must to protect the health and jobs of NSW residents.

We must remain flexible throughout this ongoing pandemic and adjust our strategies as the threat grows and recedes. This is not the first spike and it is unlikely to be the last.

NSW residents returning from a Melbourne hotspot are already required to go into 14 days of self-isolation. This requirement will be extended to anyone returning from Victoria.

This will be backed by heavy penalties and fines.

There will be provisions in place for residents of border regions, such as Albury-Wodonga. Special conditions will also be in place for freight operations and other critical services.

The NSW Police Force is ready to step up; 400 police officers plus other agencies are on hand to enforce the closure of the NSW and Victorian borders.

Small business support

WE'RE getting NSW back to business and we're making sure our small businesses have the support they need to reopen or relaunch.

From July 1, eligible small businesses will be able to access up to $3000 in Recovery Grants, while the tax-free threshold for payroll tax will be increased from $900,000 to $1 million, saving businesses up to $5450 a year.

This support for small business will help create jobs and keep more businesses in business as we enter the recovery phase of this pandemic.

More than 42,000 businesses have benefited from up to $10,000 in Small Business Support Fund grants, which helped owners during these really tough times pay expenses like phone bills and rates.

Our new Recovery Grants can be used to pay for things like advertising and marketing costs and are designed to help eligible small businesses turn their lights on, open their doors and welcome back customers and clients.

Small businesses are the engine room of NSW and they are playing a huge role in kick-starting our economy.

We are seeing a shift from business survival to business revival, and the Government will be with them every step of the way.

The Small Business Recovery Grant can only be used for expenses from July 1 and where no other Government support is available.

The new grants are funded from the $750 million Small Business Support Fund.

More information is available at www.service.nsw.gov.au/transaction/apply-small-business-covid-19-recovery-grant