I am tipping 2025 will be the year when, finally, the main street of Campbelltown gets some serious attention.
Poor old Queen Street has been smashed from pillar to post in the past 40 years or so, which just happens to coincide with the opening of Macarthur Square.
The councils of the late 1970s and early 1980s should have been awake to the impact on the main street and ensured action was taken to protect it from decay.
Instead they assumed nothing would happen, and that turned out to be wrong, very wrong.
What is really amazing about Queen Street, one of the great strips anywhere in the Sydney metro area, is that it has never completely lost its allure.
Smart looking new businesses open up at regular intervals, which helps to maintain the main street’s appeal.
These days it’s definitely a little grungy, in the musical sense – you know, a little rough around the edges, but definitely worth salvaging.
It all starts with bringing back the Fisher’s Ghost festival parade, and we know that two community minded councillors, Warren Morrison and Josh Cotter, are on the case.
A lot of people I’ve spoken to since the last festival said it didn’t feel right without a parade.
As long time residents will tell you, the parade was about the community coming together either by participating or just packing Queen Street to watch the show.
We know the parade was axed to save money, but we’re talking about a drop in the ocean.
The plan for the parade ought to have been about making it better every year, a real showstopper that attracted people from all over Sydney and beyond.
Last year Campbelltown proudly opened the Billabong Parklands, so let 2025 be the year the great festival parade returns to the main street.
But as our Top 5 points out, there’s plenty of other things Campbelltown needs to fight hard for in the next 12 months.
Number 1. Bring back the festival parade in ’25.
Number 2. Revitalise Queen Street.
Number 3. Sport centre of excellence sooner rather than later.
Number 4. Green light for the great jobs circuit breaker, the Campbelltown justice precinct.
Number 5. Serious funding for a serious upgrade of Campbelltown Sports Stadium.
Where would we put the Justice Precinct ?
No room around the Courthouse now.
Bring Back the fishers Ghost Street Parade. It should never have been dropped! It is and always will be our local history and we should retain it for future generations. I have started a petition to bring back the Parade to Queen Street Campbelltown. We currently have over 700 signatures. If you would like this nostalgic part of our local history to return to Campbelltown, then please Google Search “bring back the fishers ghost Street Parade” Scroll down to Change.org and sign the petition before we submit it to council in February 2025.
Thanks Paul
Could someone please tell me why the beautiful, 140 metre long hedge on Rose Payton Drive, Leumeah, was replaced with paspalum and weeds.
Rose Payton is highly used entry to the City for locals, and those visiting the Campbelltown Sports Stadium and the Athletic Centre.
If it was a cost saving decision, it goes to show the difference in decision making (beautification) from the Council who planted it, to today’s ($$$) decision makers, so sad !!
(I would love a response.)
I would reopen Queen St to two-way traffic and at least build a pedestrian bridge over Narellan Road between Park Central and Queen St. That should get some more people moving into/through there.
We have lived in Ingleburn since 1980 and our family looked forward to and attended the Fishers Ghost Street Parade virtually every year. It is so disappointing and short sighted that it was axed to save a comparatively trivial amount when we are forced to pay outrageous rate increases for very little in return and I see so much money wasted by council. I have signed the petition to bring the parade back. Let’s hope it gets some traction and the best interests of the community are given priority for a change.