Good news for anyone who’s missed their usual lap of Argyle Bailey Reserve. It’s open again, and it’s been seriously upgraded.
The reserve now has new walking paths, a rebuilt picnic area with barbecue facilities, fresh public amenities, and better drainage and car parking, and it’s cost close to $2.65 million to get there — $2.23 million from the Community Local Infrastructure Recovery Program, $330,000 from the Community Assets Program, and $87,661 chipped in by Hawkesbury City Council.
The two big grant pools come from the federal and NSW governments working together under the Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements, set up to help communities rebuild after the 2021 and 2022 disasters that hit the region hard.
Officials cut a ribbon at the reserve this week, and they had plenty to say. Hawkesbury Mayor Les Sheather called it a transformation — a place where families and visitors can now gather and enjoy the Hawkesbury’s natural surrounds, with infrastructure that should keep the reserve ticking along for years.
Federal Member for Macquarie Susan Templeman, who’s followed the project since the earlier riverbank restoration and stabilisation works, called the reserve a genuinely much-loved local spot.
On the funding side, Federal Emergency Management Minister Kristy McBain pitched the project as a model of disaster recovery — not just fixing what broke, but leaving the community better placed for next time.
NSW Recovery Minister Janelle Saffin made much the same case, adding that community infrastructure like this is what actually brings people back together after a disaster, and confirming both governments plan to keep working with councils across the state on similar rebuilds.
