Lake Canobolas should be opened to all Orange residents with a relaxation of lockdown laws says Orange deputy mayor Glenn Taylor.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Cr Taylor said the COVID crackdown on people leaving their homes for more than five kilometres was hurting people in Orange.
He said while the lake was in the Cabonne Council area it was an asset of Orange City Council.
"Lake Canobolas is totally funded by Orange ratepayers," he said.
"I think this is an appalling decision."
Under NSW Health lockdown rules enforced by police last weekend the lake is out of bounds to anyone living further than five kilometres away.
Cr Taylor said regional situations were different to how the rule applied in Sydney.
"What are they saying people from Cabonne will socially distance but people from Orange won't socially distance," he said.
Lakeside Kiosk and Cafe owner Clare Bremerkamp said it would be good to see it re-opened to residents outside a five kilometre zone but supported the health regulations.
"I respect the rules definitely," she said.
"I don't want to be the source of infection."
However she said the lake reserve was a large outdoor area.
She said if an exception could be made for the lake reserve "it would be amazing."
Clare and Matthew Bremerkamp took over running the lake kiosk earlier this year.
They also run the Anything Grows cafe and nursery in Summer Street.
Police requested the lake gates be shut last Saturday after detecting COVID breaches among a big crowd at the reserve, including many people from Orange.
It was re-opened, largely to Cabonne Council residents, on Sunday.
On Monday Central West Police District Inspector David Maher said police would continue to patrol the lake this week to check people there were compliant.
He said police issued warnings on Saturday to people who were outside the five kilometre zone.
"It was very busy," he said.
"A number of warnings were given."
A council spokesman said police had not made any requests to close the adjacent mountain bike park.
Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can continue to access our trusted content:
- Bookmark www.centralwesterndaily.com.au
- Make sure you are signed up for our breaking and regular headlines newsletters
- Follow us on Twitter
- Follow us on Instagram
- Catch up on our news headlines at Google News
HAVE YOUR SAY
- Send us a letter to the editor using the form below ...