The Bowerbird celebrates one year of operation

Customers and staff celebrate the Bowerbird’s first birthday.

Customers and staff alike came together last week to celebrate one year of the former tip shop being under City management.

Now known as the Bowerbird, the reuse facility has been embraced by the local community.

City of Greater Geraldton Mayor Shane Van Styn lauded the facility as a success.

“The Bowerbird team work tirelessly to assist customers and they should be proud of their achievements,” he said.

“In just one year of operation the Bowerbird has served 17,190 customers and diverted a whopping 50,000 items from landfill.

“This kind of diversion is not only a boon for the environment and for savvy customers chasing a bargain, but it also increases life expectancy of the landfill.

“The more we can reduce and reuse, the more everybody wins!”

The City took over operation of what was then known as the ‘Tip Shop’ from MEEDAC in early 2021 as part of a two year trial.

The facility officially reopened with its bright blue facade and new name on Monday 30 August 2021.

Conveniently located on the way into the Meru Landfill facility, people are encouraged to call into the Bowerbird first to donate any items that would otherwise be thrown away.

Items accepted include furniture, household electrical appliances, tools, building materials, crockery, bric-a-brac and more.

The Bowerbird is open from 9am until 3pm Wednesday to Monday (closed Tuesday).

Shade sails reinstallation

The City of Greater Geraldton wishes to advise it will begin reinstalling shade sails over playgrounds throughout the City starting the week of Monday 12 September 2022.

Works will take approximately two weeks to complete.

Members of the community are requested to exercise caution and obey all warning signs and directions from authorised City personnel and contractors.

The City apologises for any inconvenience these works may cause.

If you have any queries please contact the City on (08) 9956 6600 or email council@cgg.wa.gov.au.

Short Road river crossing open

The City of Greater Geraldton wishes to advise the Short Road river crossing has reopened to traffic.

Drivers are requested to proceed with caution, drive to the conditions and obey all warning signs and directions from authorised City personnel and contractors.

If you have any queries please contact the City on (08) 9956 6600 or email council@cgg.wa.gov.au.

Celebrating language through art

Wilunyu language will be celebrated through a new exhibition set to be mounted in the Post Office Lane Lightbox Gallery and the Geraldton Regional Library as part of the Big Sky Readers and Writers Festival.

The Wilunyu Words of Wisdom Language Exhibition invites community members to create and colour-in artwork using special templates prepared by acclaimed local Aboriginal artist Nicole Dickerson, alongside words culturally approved for use.

City of Greater Geraldton Mayor Shane Van Styn is looking forward to seeing what the community can produce.

“Wilunyu is the recognised Aboriginal language of the area central to Geraldton,” he said.

“Therefore it is important that we as a community respectfully safeguard its future through initiatives such as this one.

“I encourage anyone with an interest in art, language and Aboriginal culture to sign up for what I am sure will be a fantastic workshop with Nicole Dickerson, and to come down and enjoy the exhibition once it is installed.”

The Wilunyu Words of Wisdom workshop will take place on Saturday 3 September between 10.30am - 12pm at the Geraldton Regional Art Gallery.

Prizes of $350 will be awarded for the seven artworks chosen to be displayed in the Post Office Lane Lightbox Gallery.

Entries close on Monday 12 September.

The exhibition will open with a community sausage sizzle on Thursday 29 September starting at 10.30am and concluding at 11.30am.

For further information, conditions of entry and tickets to the workshop and exhibition opening see here.

This event has been made possible thanks to funding from the WA Primary Health Alliance under the Australian Government Primary Health Networks program.

Revolve Skate Series reloaded for September

The Revolve Skate Series is set to roll into Wonthella Skate Park next month, after the resurgence of COVID-19 forced event organisers to hit the brakes on the original date.

City of Greater Geraldton Mayor Shane Van Styn threw his support behind the new date.

“I’m stoked to see Revolve will return to Wonthella Skate Park on Saturday 17 September,” he said.

“There is an epic prize pool of over $2,500 still up for grabs so I encourage any keen skaters to register to compete in this free event.”

Competition categories include under 8’s, under 12’s and under 16’s as well as an open category and best street trick.

Due to popular demand, an additional division for girls aged 5-16 has also been added.

Registrations are now open and competitors can sign up via the LiveHeats website.

“If spectating is more your thing, there will also be plenty of entertainment cranking throughout the day,” Mayor Van Styn added.

“The new line up of entertainment features Perth band Pretty Uglys performing alongside local legends RATSALAD.

“Demo skaters from Soggy Bones will also be joining the fray, so keep an eye on the City’s Facebook and Instagram accounts for more information!”

Competitors and spectators alike can also make the trip to Jurien Bay to participate in the second leg of the series taking place on Saturday 3 September.

The Revolve Skate Series is made possible thanks to support from Healthway, Rio Tinto, Infinity Skate WA, Jayde Fox of Geraldton Property Team and the City of Greater Geraldton.

Time to prepare for bushfire season

The City of Greater Geraldton is reminding residents now is the time to begin preparing properties for the coming bushfire season.

City of Greater Geraldton Mayor Shane Van Styn said works undertaken now could later save properties and lives. 

“Despite all the rain we’ve been having lately the bushfire season is just around the corner so we all need to do our part to prevent bushfires and protect our properties,” he said.

“A well prepared home and property is more likely to survive a bushfire or ember attack, will be easier to defend and less likely to put your neighbours’ homes at risk.

“Rolling up your sleeves now will go a long way to preventing the loss of your home or even your life to a devastating bush fire.”

In the weeks leading up to the 4 October 2022 firebreak deadline residents can start preparing their properties by cleaning gutters of leaves and twigs, cutting back trees and shrubs and cleaning up fallen leaves, twigs and other debris around the yard.

If you are choosing to employ local contractors this year to get the property compliant, now is the time to contact them to ensure any required works to get the property compliant with Local Government law is completed before the deadline.

All firebreak measures must be in place by 4 October 2022 and maintained to 1 May 2023.

On 5 October 2022, fire prevention work inspections will begin and property owners who have not completed the necessary works will be fined $250 for non-compliance.

Owners of vacant or undeveloped blocks under 0.4ha must have them mowed or slashed and all Wattle bush removed.

Occupied or developed properties require a three metre clearance of all flammable material around structures and buildings and Wattle bush managed.

Larger blocks will also require a mineral earth firebreak installed along the entire external boundary of the land.

For more information on preparing for bushfire season head to the City’s website here or pick up the 2022-23 Firebreak Notice from the Civic Centre on Cathedral Avenue.

Christmas on the Terrace returns this December

Marine Terrace will be packed with festive cheer this December as the popular Christmas on the Terrace returns for another unforgettable year.

Businesses, entertainers and musicians interested in being part of the event are being encouraged to express their interest by Mayor Shane Van Styn.

“We’re excited that the popular Christmas on the Terrace is returning to the Geraldton CBD on Thursday 8 December,” he said.

“This event always presents significant opportunity for businesses and brings people together for an evening full of festive cheer.

“We’re anticipating it to be another fantastic year and encourage those interested in being part of it to submit an application on our website as soon as they can.”

Christmas on the Terrace will unfold in Marine Terrace from 5pm – 8.30pm on Thursday 8 December.

Businesses and entertainers keen to be involved can submit an expression of interest form on the City’s website by clicking here.

Opportunities close on Friday 7 October. 

More information about Christmas on the Terrace including program highlights will be announced closer to the event.

FOGO waste getting put in its place

FOGO Bin with green tag indicating the household is doing a great job at separating FOGO waste from general household rubbish.

The Food Organic Garden Organic (FOGO) kerbside collection trial is seeing more green waste than ever before being disposed of in the lime green lidded bins.

Following Council’s decision in May to extend the trial for another 12 months and ramp up the engagement with the 500 participants, the number of people presenting their bins for collection has gone up and contamination levels have dropped considerably.

City of Greater Geraldton Mayor Shane Van Styn said ongoing education and direct feedback to participants on FOGO separation was making all the difference.

“In the last couple of months we’ve ramped up our communications with participants about what they are throwing into their FOGO bins and its working as nearly all of them are now separating their waste correctly,” he said.

“Unfortunately, about 5 percent of households in the trial still don’t understand the difference between FOGO waste and general rubbish and/or not prepared to separate their waste correctly.

“For those participants, if this doesn’t improve we will be forced to take away their FOGO bins.”

FOGO participants have been given feedback on their separation efforts via bin tags. On collection days, City Officers visually inspect FOGO bins placed at the kerb before they are collected and place coloured tags on the bins with feedback on the contents.

A green tag means they did a great job, a grey tag means there are a few issues and bins that are contaminated are taped shut.  Participants who have their bin taped shut three times will be removed from the trial.

“We really want the trial to be a success and we are working hard with participants so that we can reduce the volume of organic waste going to landfill,” Mayor Van Styn added.

“If we can get this to work, Council will consider adding more households to the trial.”

For more information on the trial follow the CGG FOGO Trial Facebook page or visit the City’s website here 

Rundle Park playground works

The City of Greater Geraldton wishes to advise the Rundle Park playground located at St Georges Beach in Bluff Point will be upgraded to rubber soft fall.

Works are scheduled to begin the week of Monday 22 August 2022 for a period of approximately four days.

To ensure community safety, the playground will be closed during this time.

Members of the community are requested to exercise caution and obey all warning signs and directions from authorised City personnel and contractors.

The City apologises for any inconvenience these works may cause.

If you have any queries please contact the City on (08) 9956 6600 or email council@cgg.wa.gov.au.

UPDATE: Road closures and openings

The City of Greater Geraldton wishes to advise that all unsealed rural roads, with the exception of Giles Road, have reopened to traffic. The river crossings on the following roads remain closed due to water over the road.

·        Arthur Road

·        Minnenooka Road

·        Phillips Road

·        Ramsay Road

·        Short Road

Members of the community are urged to use alternative routes and not to risk driving through floodwaters.

For all the latest updates on road closures go to the Road Conditions Report https://www.cgg.wa.gov.au/road-condition-report.aspx

The City apologises for any inconvenience these closures may cause.

If you have any queries please contact the City on (08) 9956 6600 or email council@cgg.wa.gov.au.

UPDATE: Road closures due to heavy rainfall and flooding

The City of Greater Geraldton wishes to advise the following three roads have reopened to traffic:

·        Carnarvon-Mullewa Road  

·        Beringarra-Pindar Road

·        Glenfield Beach Drive

All other unsealed rural roads remain closed, with the exception of local traffic only, until further notice.

Drivers are requested to proceed with caution, drive to the conditions and obey all warning signs and directions from authorised City personnel and contractors.

For all the latest updates on road closures go to the Road Conditions Report https://www.cgg.wa.gov.au/road-condition-report.aspx

The City apologises for any inconvenience these ongoing closures may cause.

If you have any queries please contact the City on (08) 9956 6600 or email council@cgg.wa.gov.au.

UPDATE: Road closures due to heavy rainfall

The City of Greater Geraldton wishes to advise that ongoing rainfall is causing temporary flooding at various locations across the City region with some roads being closed to ensure community safety including:

·        Scott Road

·        Giles Road

·        Glenfield Beach Drive

·        All unsealed rural roads

Community members are urged to not to risk driving through floodwaters, as there may be debris in the water, and to use alternative routes.

City crews are currently working to clear these roads. With rain forecast to continue for the coming hours these works will be ongoing until further notice.

For all the latest updates on road closures go to the Road Conditions Report https://www.cgg.wa.gov.au/road-condition-report.aspx

Members of the community are requested to exercise caution and obey all warning signs and directions from authorised City personnel and contractors.

The City apologises for any inconvenience these closures may cause.

If you have any queries please contact the City on (08) 9956 6600 or email council@cgg.wa.gov.au.

Rural roads reopen following heavy rainfalls

The City of Greater Geraldton wishes to advise Giles Road and Bootenal Road have reopened to traffic.

Drivers are requested to proceed with caution, drive to the conditions and obey all warning signs and directions from authorised City personnel and contractors.

If you have any queries please contact the City on (08) 9956 6600 or email council@cgg.wa.gov.au.

Developing Talent in WA’s Midwest

Geraldton Aquarena will host Royal Life Saving WA’s Talent Pool program. Photo credit: Ken Lawson.

Royal Life Saving WA’s Talent Pool program is being rolled out across Geraldton, offering skills development and training opportunities for local Aboriginal youth, with a focus on employment pathways.

Royal Life Saving is working with employment agency, Real Futures and the City of Greater Geraldton to deliver the six-month program, which will involve a range of swimming and rescue activities culminating in participants receiving Swim Teacher and Lifeguard qualifications at the Geraldton Aquarena.

City of Greater Geraldton Mayor Shane Van Styn threw his support behind the program.

“This is a fantastic initiative that we are proud to be a part of,” he said.

“I applaud everyone involved in bringing the Talent Pool program to Geraldton.”

The Talent Pool program is an innovative training and employment initiative that provides skills development to Aboriginal young people with an aim to generate real employment opportunities in the aquatics industry while building capable communities.

The free course is being made available in Geraldton thanks to funding support from the Australian Government through the Local Jobs Program and will be provided to youth no longer in the education system who are looking for work.

The City of Greater Geraldton is also allocating access to facilities and pools at no charge to assist this worthwhile program.

Travis Doye, Royal Life Saving Senior Manager Workforce Solutions, says the program engages vulnerable community members, offering training with an aim to foster first-time employment.

“Talent Pool is unique in that we start with the end in mind, striving to provide real employment outcomes for graduates,” he said.

The Local Jobs Program (LJP) is funded by the Australian Government Department of Employment and Workplace Relations.

Bloom time in Mullewa

Wreath flowers in Mullewa. Image by @block.275 on Instagram.

There has never been a better time to visit Mullewa than right now.

As the bush blooms all eyes are on the flourishing heart of wildflower country.

City of Greater Geraldton Mayor Shane Van Styn is encouraging everyone to take the trip out east.

“Mullewa really is the place to be this time of year and it is not just about the wildflowers,” he said.

“This year there is also the brand new Mullewa entrance mural at Callaghan Park to check out as well as Helen Ansell’s Floral Fashionista Exhibition and of course the much loved Outback Bloom and Mullewa Agricultural Show will round out an action packed month.

“I urge everyone to make the most of all this rain we have been getting and hit the road to Mullewa to experience one of the most fantastic wonders of our region.” 

Mullewa’s signature wildflower event Outback Bloom is partially funded through the City’s Festival and Event Funding Program and officially opens at Mullewa Town Hall at 10am on Thursday August 25 and runs through until Sunday 28 August.

The Mullewa Agricultural Show is funded in part by the City’s Community Grants Program, gates open at 9.30am Saturday 27 August before concluding at 8pm the same day.

For all the latest information on wildflower hotspots and on what is on offer in Mullewa call into the Mullewa Visitor Centre or check what is happening online by clicking here

Railway Street transformed into safe active street

The transformation of the 1.4km long Railway Street in Bluff Point into a Safe Active Street the first of its kind in regional WA, is complete.

Mayor Van Styn said Railway Street is now a more welcoming place for all roads users thanks to a funding contribution from the State Government.

“The transformation of Railway Street into shared space for riders, walkers and drivers featuring new red asphalt, traffic calming devices and a 30km/h speed limit is a fantastic outcome for our community,” he said.

“Railway Street’s generous street width has been divided into three lanes, two for vehicles and one for designated on-street parking that’s bookended by street trees, making it a much more appealing place to go for a walk or ride a bike.

“I’d like to thank the State Government who provided $1.1 million in grant funding to design and build the SAS which has become an active transport route between areas where people live, the Chapman River Regional Park, Bluff Point and St Lawrence’s Primary Schools and the Bluff Point commercial centre.”

The Railway Street SAS was identified as a key cycling facility in the Geraldton 2050 Cycling Strategy and has become a key component of the City’s cycling network.

The completion of the SAS project means residents and visitors to the City can now walk or ride from the CBD north to Corallina Quays in Sunset Beach along a series of recently upgraded footpaths along Chapman Road, off-road shared paths and the SAS.

The $1.73 million project was jointly funded with the State Government contributing $1.1 million and the City the remaining $630,000.

More information on the Railway Street SAS is available here

Temporary closure Webber Park playground

The City of Greater Geraldton wishes to advise maintenance works on the Webber Park playground equipment at the Waggrakine Hall will begin the week of Monday 8 August 2022 for a period of approximately three weeks.

To ensure community safety during the works, the playground located on Hackett Road in Waggrakine will be closed.

Members of the community are requested to exercise caution and obey all warning signs and directions from authorised City personnel and contractors.

The City apologises for any inconvenience these works may cause.

If you have any queries please contact the City on (08) 9956 6600 or email council@cgg.wa.gov.au.

UPDATE: Artwork bus shelters installation postponed

The City of Greater Geraldton wishes to advise the installation of eight new bus shelters featuring artworks by local artists has been postponed due to high winds. The installation at following locations will now begin on Monday 8 August 2022 for a period of approximately five days.

·        Harrison Street, Bluff Point near Bluff Point Primary School

·        Central Road, Wonthella between Place Road and First Street

·        Shenton Street, Geraldton near Geraldton Senior High School

·        Shenton Street, Geraldton near the Geraldton Regional Hospital

·        Chapman Road, Bluff Point across from Bluff Point Shopping Centre

·        Fitzgerald Street,  Beachlands across from Central Regional TAFE

·        Chapman Road, Geraldton in front of North Gate Shopping Centre both street sides

The anticipated hours of work will be from 7:00 am to 6:00 pm.

Members of the community are requested to exercise caution and obey all warning signs and directions from authorised City personnel and contractors.

The City apologises for any inconvenience these works may cause.

If you have any queries please contact the City on (08) 9956 6600 or email council@cgg.wa.gov.au.

Kaleidoscope of talent announced for Big Sky

Avid readers need to look no further to find their next burst of creative spark, with Geraldton Regional Library releasing the dates for Big Sky Readers and Writers Festival 2022.

Set to be held from Thursday 29 September until Sunday 2 October, this year’s line-up features a ‘kaleidoscope’ of talent from across the state.

City of Greater Geraldton Mayor Shane Van Styn was thrilled to see it back for another year.

“This long running staple on the Geraldton events calendar continues to bring exceptional experiences to local venues throughout the region,” he said.

“Big Sky is a must-see for literature lovers everywhere and I applaud everyone involved for organising another ripper year.

“The full programme and tickets will be released very soon, so keep an eye on the Library’s social media so you don’t miss out!”

The 2022 line-up features Geraldton born author Holden Sheppard, whose debut novel Invisible Boys won several accolades, including the WA Premier’s Prize for an Emerging Writer in 2019. His second novel, titled The Brink will be published in August.

Other writers making an appearance include Amanda Bridgeman, Emily Brugman, Melody Dia, Brooke Dunnell, Dr Kate Forsyth and many more.

A full list of guests and moderators can be viewed on the Geraldton Regional Library’s website.

Funding for the Festival has been provided thanks to Lara Dalton MLA, Sandra Carr MLC and Darren West MLC; and the Department of Local Government, Sport and Cultural Industries, along with support from the Geraldton Universities Centre, local businesses and community groups.

Unsealed rural road closures due to heavy rainfall

The City of Greater Geraldton wishes to advise that due to heavy rainfall unsealed rural roads between Geraldton and Eradu Road North and Eradu Road South including Walkaway and Greenough districts are closed to all traffic, with the exception of local residents, until further notice.

Local residents are advised to use 4 wheel drive vehicles wherever possible, exercise caution and drive to conditions as required to assist with minimising damage to the roads at this time.

For all the latest updates on road closures go to the Road Conditions Report https://www.cgg.wa.gov.au/road-condition-report.aspx

Members of the community are requested to exercise caution and obey all warning signs and directions from authorised City personnel and contractors.

The City apologises for any inconvenience these closures may cause.

If you have any queries please contact the City on (08) 9956 6600 or email council@cgg.wa.gov.au.