The new Mangrove Creek Dam Visitor Centre is finally open to the public.
There’s a new interactive visitor education centre, accessible family-friendly amenities, a children’s play space and a revitalised picnic area with new picnic table shelters, bins and bench seating.
Central Coast Council Director for Water and Sewer Jamie said the new centre offered an exceptional visitor experience, providing educational insights into the water supply system, natural environment and cultural heritage of the area.
“Council provides a potable water supply service to about 350,000 residents across the region,” he said.
“Key components of the water supply system include Mangrove Creek Dam, Mangrove Creek Weir and their associated catchments.
“The new visitor space provides our community with the opportunity to come out and see the scale of this for themselves, taking in the serenity that Mangrove Creek Dam has to offer, all while enjoying the new family friendly facilities.”
Council Administrator Rik Hart said the Mangrove Creek Weir and Mangrove Creek catchments were significantly affected by the Three Mile Fire in December 2019, with the Mangrove Creek Dam Picnic Area being destroyed.
“Mangrove Creek Dam is the largest dam on the Central Coast and a key component of the Central Coast water supply system,” he said.
“With about 20,000 visitors a year, the provision of an enhanced visitor experience improves our tourism offering in the Central Coast hinterland.
“This project shows how great things happen when different levels of government work together hand-in-hand with the community.”
The $3.2M project was boosted by $2.567M from the Federal and State Governments’ Bushfire Local Economic Recovery (BLER) Fund.
Minister for Agriculture, Regional NSW and Western NSW, Tara Moriarty, said the centre would educate the community on where their precious water comes from.
“From the ashes new tourism ventures have grown, with this project promoting the stunning natural landscape which lies in the Central Coast hinterland,” she said.
“The NSW Government is continuing to deliver the support that communities need to keep moving forward in recovery and is ensuring no-one is left behind.”
Community consultation was undertaken by Central Coast Council for the project with feedback informing design and construction planning process.
Construction commenced during November 2022, with works completed last month.
The Mangrove Creek Dam Visitor Centre is open from 9am to 5pm seven days a week, excluding Christmas Day.
The site will be closed to the public during periods of extreme and catastrophic fire danger to manage public safety.
For more information on the Mangrove Creek Dam Visitor Centre go to Council’s Your Voice our Coast website.
Source:
Central Coast Council