Mayor Carol Provan has joined our blog and the I love Cronulla page and has offered to update us on some important things happening in Cronulla and the Sutherland Shire, here is the first edition with all we need to know about Hugh Jackman and other important things.

Filming in the Shire

It seems that the Sutherland Shire is becoming even more hot property for filmmakers, with the beauty of our natural landscape, our people and proximity to Sydney city and airport forming a drawcard for television and movie producers big and small. Next month we will see big budget Hollywood production at Kurnell’s Bonna Point next month. Hugh Jackman’s ‘The Wolverine’ will be shot at the Bonna Point boat ramp, and I’m pleased to say that heartthrob Hugh will be on set in early August. Improvements to the boat ramp will be completed before filming commences and work on the car park upgrade and amenities block will begin when filming ends. Council is working closely with Screen NSW and Twentieth Century Fox to ensure the impact on the surrounding area is minimal and that production will benefit the Shire’s economy.

I understand that the broadcast date of ‘The Shire’ TV show has been delayed because the producers have been underwhelmed by the amount of “spice” they’ve managed to shoot. We will have to wait and see what happens with this dramality series, but I hope, for the sake of our wonderful people here in The Shire, that it never makes it to air.

Widening of Captain Cook Drive

Council is about to start work on a three-stage, $6.8 million project to improve a 1.2km section of Captain Cook Drive between Woolooware Road and Elouera Road at Woolooware. The project involves widening the road to take it from two lanes to four lanes plus a bicyle/breakdown lane on each side. The family friendly cycleway will be retained and is also going to be upgrade. The new roadway will be raised above the existing road in order to reduce flooding.

Indeed, this work will have to be staged because we are building over a swamp and the road will settle due to its weight. We need to allow settling time to allow subsidence to take place before the final road pavement is laid.

When completed, the road will improve access for the residents of Kurnell, the new Greenhills residential development and around the Bate Bay beaches, as well as the new playing fields to be provided by Australand/Breen as part of its development.

New look for Shire Tourism

Tourism operators in the Sutherland Shire were recognised at the 2012 Shire Tourism Awards. We have many deserving businesses here in the Shire that offer visitors unique and quality experiences time after time and I’m glad that our tourism economy is going from strength to strength. This will be boosted by the new logo and fresh look for Shire Tourism that celebrates the wonderful acitivities and accommodation options available as well as the sunny, relaxed environment and beautiful landscape visitors enjoy.

Along with the new logo, there is a new website www.visittheshire.com.au, You Tube channel and Facebook page, not to mention a new visitor’s guide. I encourage you to pick up a copy of the guide and pass it on to your friends and family who live outside the Shire so that they can discover what is on offer. Or perhaps you and your family may want to explore parts of the Shire you haven’t seen before?