Blue Mountains News

Party in the Park will be held on Saturday, 21 September 2024, 10am – 1pm, at Mount Victoria Memorial Park.

Against the beautiful backdrop of the recently renewed park, visitors can take part in a range of fun activities:

• Promenade through Memorial Park in your finest vintage costumes (with prizes for best dressed!)
• Explore the culture, history and knowledge of First Nations people who have cared for this area for thousands of years with a talk by local Dharug Elder, Jacinta Tobin.
• Join Sue Collins from Mountain Tales on a short walking tour of Memorial Park.
• Discover some of Mount Victoria’s most iconic heritage buildings on the new self-guided heritage trail.
• Entertain the kids with a scavenger hunt and giant lawn games.
• Sample coffee and refreshments from one of Mount Victoria’s delightful eateries.
• Explore the unique shops that line the historic streets of Mount Victoria.
• Enjoy roaming entertainment, pack a picnic and enjoy the lush big band sound of jazz group The BlackHeathens.

Blue Mountains City Council CEO, Rosemary Dillon said, “Party in the Park is an opportunity to recognise and celebrate the Mount Victoria community, which in recent years has displayed remarkable resilience, particularly following major bushfires over 2019 and 2020.

“While Party in the Park will tap-into the strengths and uniqueness of Mount Victoria and the Memorial Park, at its heart this event is simply about coming together and having fun.

“I encourage locals and visitors alike to make a day of it in Mount Victoria and explore what the village has to offer.”

Party in the Park also marks the recent completion of improvements made across the village under the Mount Victoria Village Recovery Package, funded by the Australian Government.

The recovery package provided:

• Improved village marketing and promotion: a heritage trail and new village signage.
• Enhanced village centre amenity: new plantings, street trees, seating and upgrades to the heritage staircase at the Great Wester Highway.
• Mount Victoria Memorial Park renewals: new park entrance, carpark, accessible footpaths, landscaping, sculptural artwork and improved storm water management.
• Technology: a local weather station to improve bushfire threat knowledge and smart sensors to improve asset management; and
• Business support: mentoring and resources for local businesses.

“This is a comprehensive project that not only provides immediate benefits, but also looks to the future by strengthening community resilience. It’s easy to appreciate the built upgrades like the beautiful improvements to the park, but I also want to highlight the importance of the business support and technology components of this package, ” Dr Dillon said.

Federal Member for Macquarie, Susan Templeman said the upgrades are benefiting locals and visitors alike.

“As we near the five-year anniversary of the Black Summer fires it’s timely that the Mount Victoria community can come together to celebrate their resilient community and the first round of improvements to the park.  

“And I look forward to the next stage of investment, with my million dollar election commitment, to allow Council to continue to improve play and sports facilities for Mount Victoria.”

Park improvements will also continue next year with upgrades to the playspace and tennis courts, made possible through a grant from the Australian Government’s Priority Community Infrastructure Program.

For more information about the Mount Victoria Party in the Park visit: here