Crago Mill 6 May 2010
What a lovely surprise it was to see Bernard Vance's plans for the
old Crago Mill! I had been cast into a slough of despond over the
second McDonalds restaurant complex planned for Kelso, but the
proposed developments for Crago Mill have helped me climb back out.
The Crago Mill ideas tick all my personal "like" boxes. Having a
space to buy and sell fresh local food is just perfect. And it is
also fantastic that there might be spaces for the arts - studio
space, perhaps, and a gallery or two. I remember the discussions
about the Crago Mill from my Arts OutWest days: the building had been
earmarkd for redevelopment as an arts space for many years. But it
- Hide quoted text -
was starting to look a bit grim, with the cost of renovation
seemingly overwhelming.
If Crago Mill gets up and running, it will be a great "balancer" to
the new development at Kelso. It will be an example of how we can
work with the heritage of the past to create green and creative
spaces that look to the future. There could be a sign-posted walking
trail from the train station to the Mill, bringing the whole
development into the Keppel Street/railway station precinct. We would
then be expanding our "foot friendly" precinct, encouraging people to
get out of their cars and enjoy the unique beauty of Bathurst.
,,,
Meanwhile, water prices have gone up. While it might be causing some
angst to those facing higher bills, I can't say it's a bad thing. As
we are slowly coming to realise, water isn't "free". It's precious
stuff and has been undervalued for far too long. Meanwhile, I noticed
the council's sprinklers sending up sprays of water in the middle of
the rain on Thursday morning. Perhaps automatic sprinklers need to be
replaced by moisture probes that only set the water off when the
earth reaches a certain level of dryness (these do exist).
,,,
A small but enthusiastic group of Bathurst Community Climate Action
Network members supported the national launch of the 100 Percent
Renewables campaign last weekend by gathering near the visitor's
centre for a photo opportunity. The photo was sent off to join a
montage of photos from around the country. You can find out more at