Machattie Park to welcome back visitors

Published on 14 March 2024

Phased reopening to start this weekend.

Sections of Machattie Park will be reopened to the public from Saturday 16 March.

A tree assessment of all trees within Machattie Park was completed by a specialist consulting arborist in January this year and tree remediation works have occurred over the last two weeks.

The final works in part the of the park adjacent to William Street and a section of the George Street & Russell Street corner of the park will be completed tomorrow, Friday 15 March. Fencing is being installed to define the areas of the park that remain closed because of safety issues.

Mayor Jess Jennings said reopening sections of Machattie Park to the community was great news.

“Machattie Park is cherished by our residents and offers people a place to relax, get together with families and friends, have a picnic or to have a leisurely stroll,” he said.

“In addition to the greenspace that will be available from Saturday, the Begonia House will open Tuesday next week with the 2024 begonia display in full bloom. Some further clean up works are required at the Bathurst Fernery before it reopens, but it is expected to open prior to Easter.”

A section of Machattie Park remains closed where the flying fox camp is currently roosting. Fencing will be in place to restrict access to this area. Significant tree remediation work in this area will not be able to commence until the flying fox colony departs Bathurst for the winter.

This stage of the Machattie Park tree remediation program has cost approximately $30,000 and is funded within Council’s existing 2023/24 Operational Plan. Funding to undertake the restoration of the remaining trees within the park will be subject to Council’s deliberations on the draft 2024/25 Operational Plan.

What work has occurred?

Remediation work in the park has occurred in line with the arborist’s report. The tree remediation works included:

· Deadwood removal

· Branch reduction and thinning

· Removal of broken or cracked branches

This has allowed Council staff to undertake further works including:

· Removal of debris from the grounds

· Mowing and garden bed maintenance

· Tidying up the path network

Attached: The attached map highlights the areas being reopened (in red) and the area of the park that remains closed (blue).(PDF, 608KB)