A former Narrandera resident who now lives in the tourist town of Noosa wants to alert Narrandera residents to a project she believes will have a negative impact on tourism in Narrandera– the proposed skywalk which will extend over and above Lake Talbot.

Jeanette Gentle (nee Hall), who lives in Noosaville, said in a letter to the editor in today’s Argus that when the proposed “incredibly ugly, over engineered” Lake Talbot Sky Walk is built, there would be little reason for her to stay in Narrandera for more than a couple of days.

“Narrandera Council will have destroyed its main natural asset,” she said.

The preliminary design for the skywalk at Lake Talbot has been completed by Teleo Design and put out for public feedback by the Narrandera Shire Council by April 15 with intentions to start building it in July this year and complete the project by December.

The design features a fully accessible walkway that extends some 13 metres out over and above the waters of Lake Talbot to provide an uninterrupted view of the full length of the lake and the natural beauty of the adjoining bushland of the Flora and Fauna Reserve.

Mrs Gentle pointed out that for more than 40 years the Noosa community has had to work hard to maintain its environmental qualities.

“It is those natural qualities which ensure Noosa continues to be a premier tourist destination, the same as I keep being drawn back to visit Narrandera because of its unique environmental assets. “When I visit I usually stay for a week. It is easy to fill in the time with walks up the back of the Lake, koala spotting on the Common, boating or kayaking up the river or having a swim off one of the river beaches. It is the quiet serenity of Narrandera’s natural assets which I really enjoy.

“Narrandera residents, do you know how lucky you are to be surrounded by such beauty? Quiet natural serenity are the things which are in short supply these days and the things which tourists will pay a premium to access.

“Sky walks are usually proposed for in unique and difficult to access areas and Lake Talbot, as beautiful as it is, it not an appropriate location.

“So Narrandera community are you going to stand by and do nothing and let this happen? If it was Noosa, a community meeting would be called immediately and lots of questions would start to be asked.”

Mrs Gentle grew up and went to school in Narrandera but has spent her married life in Queensland. She still has relatives in Narrandera, including former Mayor Wesley Hall.

“I had a wonderful childhood there and still love the place. My love of nature and the environment was nurtured there. I still know the tracks up the back of the lake like the back of my hand.”

In a conversation with the Argus Ms Gentle said she found it unbelievable that a Council was so concerned about losing grant money compared to the multi-million dollar cost of destroying an irreplaceable natural asset and the creation of something which will probably be a significant drain on ratepayers in the future.

“Most councils would have put in the effort to resolve the issues associated with the heritage bridge, which I agree should be preserved, rather than putting it in the too hard basket.

“Perhaps a question which could be put to Council is what did they do to resolve the issues associated with the heritage bridge. Even if it’s $700 000, that’s chicken feed compared to the value of the natural amenity of the lake which will be lost and the long-term running costs of the walkway.”

Her message was to rally the community to fight this proposal and stop one of Narrandera’s key natural assets being destroyed.

“Even if you do not value the natural assets of Narrandera, you might still want to fight this project because it is likely to become a giant white elephant, the costs of which to maintain or demolish will fall on future ratepayers,” she said.

Narrandera Landcare previously blasted the Council for axing the lattice railway bridge project that the skywalk will replace.

The proposal to convert the State-listed heritage bridge to a pedestrian bridge for cyclists and walkers as part of the hike and bike network was the subject of a Council Development Application (DA) presented to the October meeting.

The Council worked with Narrandera Landcare over six years to develop the project and then, in a surprise about-turn, rejected the DA at the meeting on a 5-2 majority vote.

Narrandera Council is now seeking community feedback on the design of the skywalk project until April 15.

Letters to the editor regarding the skywalk proposal appear on page 2 of today’s Argus.

STOP PRESS:

A public meeting to discuss the skywalk proposal will be held at the Narrandera Ex-servicemen’s Club on Tuesday at 5.30pm, with the NSC Mayor and General Manager in attendance. An independent moderator has been organised to ensure the event remains focussed and respectful.

Council statement on skywalk

The Lattice Railway Bridge Walkway was part of the overarching Playground on the Murrumbidgee -a collection of tourism projects focused on encouraging visitors to Narrandera Shire.

The Narrandera Shire Council began undertaking the necessary steps for the Lattice Railway Bridge Walkway, preparing the necessary documentation including the environmental assessments and the development application process.

The project was placed on public exhibition and as part of the formal development application process public submissions were made. Subsequently it went to the October 2021 Council meeting, where Council resolved to refuse the development application.

The reasons for the refusal included the loss of amenity for adjoining properties, the potential increase of operational costs due to it not being Council’s property as it is owned by Transport NSW which advised that Council would be responsible for 100% of the maintenance costs.

In addition to this, Council has no tenure over the surrounding land and access to the bridge as it currently sits on Crown Land. Finally, the attraction of visitors to that area may have impacted the Aboriginal heritage.

The Skywalk came to fruition as Council had been allocated $820k for Lattice Railway Bridge Walkway, these funds could either be returned to the NSW Government or the project replaced with a suitably relevant tourism based project.

A report proposing the skywalk was put to the November 2021 Council meeting and following a resolution of Council, an application for a variation to the grant was made to the NSW Government and approved.

The fund is not able to be readily used for general community based projects such as improvements to the water or stormwater, with the fund needing to be expended by December 2022.

The skywalk is now in the design stage (which has no notable operational cost or payment required by users), and is open for community feedback.

To make a submission visit Council’s website narrandera.nsw.gov.au and select ‘Have Your Say’ or via email at council@narrandera.nsw.gov.au.

This article appeared in the Narrandera Argus, 24 March 2022.

Related stories: Skywalk to replace bridge, Group blasts bridge decision, Council rejects bridge project