The River Yarners, an environmentally-conscious knitting group, 'yarn bombed' the contraption last Friday to campaign for more trees in the Bathurst CBD.

READ ALSO: Bathurst Walk 'n Talk for Life event raises mental health awareness

"This contraption is a faux tree, and would've been the perfect spot for a tree," River Yarners member Tracy Sorensen said.

"A tree provides habitat for animals, insects and biodiversity, as well as shade to cool the footpath, so we've 'yarn bombed' this bench to quietly get our point across."

The sit and shade structure was installed in June with a view to increase shade, seating and the aesthetic amenity using sustainable design principals.

READ ALSO: Bathurst street tree assessment finds most are in good health

But fellow River Yarner member Sally Neaves feels planting a tree would've, in time, proven a far more sustainable option.

"You can think of trees as flowing water: they store so much moisture and transpire it through vapour, causing a tremendous cooling effect," Ms Neaves said.

"There's not a single tree on this block, and you can only imagine how unbearably hot this footpath can get on a 40-plus degree day."

READ ALSO: Bathurst Regional Council frustrated by lack of detail from Sussan Ley on Mount Panorama site

Recent CBD works, as part of the $767,884 Bathurst Streets as Shared Spaces pilot project, have seen the planting of 15 potted street trees around the town centre.

But the River Yarners would love to see more trees considered for the CBD's future environment.

"As 'craftivists', we're ready to comment on environmental issues in the future," Ms Sorensen said.

Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can access our trusted content: