Blue Mountains News

The upgrades are the next stage of the Mount Victoria Village Recovery Package and include:

• A new formal entrance to the park at Station Street with paved entry and seating.
• A new village entrance sandstone plinth, in keeping with the heritage streetscape.
• Accessible footpaths linking Station Street, the amenities block and village carpark.
• Removal of the existing path from Station Street to the amenities block, which is in poor condition.
• Installation of a new sculptural artwork.
• Continued work on stormwater management.
• Carpark improvements (to start in late February 2024)

Once work starts, there will be some disturbance to the park’s main entrance from Station Street. However, access will be maintained so visitors can still reach the amenities building in the park.

Visitors can also use the entrance from the Great Western Highway or enter from the Montgomery Street carpark (until work on the carpark starts in late February 2024).

Blue Mountains Mayor, Cr Mark Greenhill said, “It’s particularly exciting when shovels hit the ground on projects that improve accessibility within our parks and open spaces. That’s because making smart changes can have a large and lasting impact for people who may previously have had difficulty visiting certain areas.

“The upgrades to Mount Victoria Memorial Park will not only provide an impressive welcome to the village but will also allow more people to visit the park via a new accessible walkway and improved parking area.

“The park improvements will benefit locals, the wider Blue Mountains community and importantly they will also encourage more visitors to stop, enjoy the park and explore the village and what is has to offer.

“A great outcome will also be improvements to how stormwater is managed at the park. That work is already underway.”

Federal Member for Macquarie Susan Templeman said, “It’s so good to see work beginning, as part of supporting a community that was so badly affected by the 2019-20 fires, and I congratulate Council on making this progress with the bushfire grant.

“I also look forward to working with Council on the next step for Mount Victoria, with the additional $1 million the Albanese Government has provided to invest in Memorial Park.

“The investments and improvements will not only be enjoyed by locals but provide more reasons for visitors to stop awhile in the village.”

From 5 February, construction work at the park will take place between 7am – 6pm Monday to Friday and 8am – 1pm on Saturdays.

At times, the work will involve some noise. However, disturbance to nearby residents and businesses will be reduced as much as possible.

Construction traffic will be managed by Council’s principal contractor engaged for the works. Some additional traffic will be using Station Street and Montgomery Street during the upgrades.

The park upgrades are anticipated to be completed by mid-April 2024 (weather permitting).

In addition to the park upgrades, a range of Village Centre improvements are also expected to be installed from February 2024. This includes:

• New street trees on Station Street
• New street furniture and planters
• A new Mount Victoria Heritage Trail and Visitor Information Sign
• Bin sensors: to monitor the level of waste in rubbish bins, to aid in monitoring and collection routines.
• People counters: to count visitors to Mount Victoria Memorial Park and monitor the usage of facilities.
• An accessible parking bay sensor: to provide information on availability of the upgraded accessible parking bay.
• A weather station: to provide localised environmental information.

Over two days in mid-to-late February, the amenities building will be closed to the public so that some of the counting sensors and associated technology can be installed. The dates of the closure will be communicated to the community once confirmed.

We appreciate the community’s patience and understanding while the work is being undertaken.

This project received grant funding from the Australian Government.

More information about the project is available at: here