Sir David Attenborough once said, ‘No one will protect what they don’t care about; and they won’t care about what they’ve never experienced.’
The opening of the new boat launch at Mackey Park creates opportunities for Sydneysiders to experience the Cooks River in a new way, thus inspiring a cultural shift to protect this important urban waterway.
On Saturday 16 May, the new boat launch at Mackey Park was officially opened with speeches, a barbeque and a community paddle out.
“This is more than a boat facility, this marks a shift in our connection to our backyard river.”
The Value of Partnerships
This new boat launch is a result of partnerships across community, industry and government. The origin of the idea grew out of a collaboration between the River Canoe Club of NSW, Sydney Water, Paddle Australia and the NSW EPA, who’ve been organising clean up paddle events on the river for many years. The Canoe Club has been reconnecting the surrounding community with the river by paddling it. That experience evolved into a concept which eventually (with the help of the NSW Government and Inner West Council) transformed into the stunning new facilities in this section of the river.
Funding for the new boat launch comes from the NSW Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure ‘Places to Swim‘ Program and Inner West Council.
A Plan For A Paddling Destination
Now, Sydneysiders can launch a boat from the new accessible ramp and explore the 25km of urban waterways on the Cooks River Paddle Trail.
More people on the water emphasises the need for a healthy waterway. That’s why we’re working with Alliance partners like Inner West Council, to create a plan for the entire Cooks River catchment, across government boundaries. A waterway has a multitude of benefits for the public. With increasing population density in the Cooks River Catchment, we’ll need a coordinated effort to ensure that the parks and waterways are able to provide benefits to new generations of Sydneysiders.
One of the goals of the new masterplan is to grow the Cooks River as a recreation destination, with paddling at its core.
To find out more about our plan for the catchment, visit ourbackyardriver.com.au.