A MAJOR tourism project at Marulan is bidding for a sizable chunk of State Government funding.
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The Heritage and Sustainability Park (HASP), pegged for a six hectare site at Marulan, is gathering pace.
Committee member David Humphreys told the most recent council meeting the project had been under investigation for the past three and a half to four years.
"We are now at the pointy end," he said.
The park will include an interpretative museum and four 'nodes' focused on the area's history. These are indigenous history, early settlement, agriculture and mining. There's also a fifth zone - 'camping on the Meridian,' focused on Meridian Park. The complex will be located between the Hume Highway and George St on council donated land.
Mr Humphreys told councillors the committee had applied to the State's $32 million Resource to Recovery fund for a $3.7m project grant. The program is aimed at communities affected by mining.
The amount covers the total estimated cost.
Quarry company Boral has taken a lead in supporting the project. However, Gunlake Quarries and Holcim are also pledging their backing.
Boral's environmental and community liaison officer Sharon Makin said the committee hoped the grant application would be successful.
"If it's not successful then at least we'll have worked up a project plan and the key parts and look at how we can fund it," she said.
Mr Humphreys said like everyone, he hoped they could win 'Lotto' but if unsuccessful, the committee would try again through other regional funding grant programs.
The project is designed as part of a heritage trail taking in Tallong, Marulan, Bungonia, Towrang and Goulburn. Ms Makin described it as an exciting concept, given that it had emerged from a simple idea for a museum.
Some 26 community groups have hopped on board, with some committing village funds allocated by Council.
Two University of Canberra Landscape Architecture students, Ben Gordon and Chris Norris drew up concept designs for the park over 15 months. One of these was selected.
The indigenous node will incorporate an interpretative centre and bush garden; the European settlement zone is centred on parkland; and the agriculture node is yet to be detailed but covers the industry's history.
In the mining node, an eight-metre high steel walkway valued at $1.2m is the centrepiece, also serving as an entry to the park.
"It will be the key element to draw people off the highway," Mr Humphreys said.
"We see this project as important not only one for Marulan but very significant for the Local Government Area.
"Marulan is the first town in the Southern Tablelands and the entry to Goulburn Mulwaree. Some 10,000 vehicles go past the town every day and this will get some of them off the highway and enable us to direct them to other attractions in the council area and beyond."
He described it as a truly community project with organisations willing to contribute in-kind work. Ms Makin said the quarry companies would commit more fully once it was clear what was needed.
Meantime, the committee is establishing an executive group to oversee expenditure of funds on HASP.
It comprises a corporate governance person, an accountant, quarry representative, project manager and civil contractor.
Last Tuesday, Mr Humphreys also invited a council representative to join the group.
Mayor Geoff Kettle praised the project's worth and congratulated the Marulan and surrounding communities for getting behind it.