Gosford: Light shows, murals will help revive town, attract tourists

VIVID-style light shows, large-scale murals and a complete overhaul and refurbishment of Gosford’s fountains are among several CBD projects in the Central Coast Council pipeline.

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VIVID-style light shows, large-scale murals and a complete overhaul and refurbishment of the Gosford city centre fountains are among several CBD projects in the Central Coast Council pipeline.

These initiatives are among ten recommendations contained within the Gosford Heritage Interpretation Strategy released to the public in March.

As the skyline fills with the promise of cranes, the document strives to reconnect Gosford with its indigenous and industrial past, as well as its natural setting.

The 1913-built St Marys Church at Gosford.

The $100,000 strategy was completed by Sue Hodges, an external consultant who has developed heritage strategies for the HM Pentridge Prison, the Great Ocean Road, the old Great North Road, as well as historic George Town on Penang Island, Malaysia.

It notes that “the current status of heritage interpretation in Gosford … is generally in poor condition, difficult to read and no longer engages the community”.

To rectify this, a $550,000 commitment is recommended.

These funds would spread across ten projects designed to drive tourism and reconnect coasties to their past.

Gosford High School built in 1928.

A $100,000 purse towards executing a series of light installations that “highlight the beauty of Gosford and encourage overnight stays” is among the highlights.

As is a $90,000 “heritage mobile website” that includes a storytelling toolkit featuring oral histories and walking tours.

Another $85,000 would be spent on interpretative signage on heritage buildings, $30,000 on Kibble Park installations highlighting the contribution of selected local identities, and $120,000 to paint shop awnings and activate shopfronts with interactive displays.

Fountain at Kibble Park, Gosford.

A $60,000 commitment to paint murals throughout the CBD is also included in the strategy.

Ms Hodges also recommends using $40,000 to “reinterpret” the Rotary War Memorial fountain in Burns Park, and the Kibble Park fountain. Both would be “significantly enhanced, and become tourist attractions, if they were integrated with public art and told stories about water, the environment, the traditional owners, and natural water sources in the area”.

The Gosford Heritage Interpretation Strategy is on exhibition until May at yourvoiceourcoast.com