After a tour of Queen Street this morning, the South West Voice in Macarthur can report that the Campbelltown main street is a mass of contradictions.
Another way of putting it is that from Tim’s Garden in the north to Campbelltown Mall in the south – a distance of more than one kilometre – Queen Street has it all.
There are large empty buildings which are ugly eyesores, plenty of vacant premises, and most of the people along Queen Street seem to be smokers.
But there among the signs of decline are green shoots of hope, with gleaming new businesses opening their doors.
Right in the middle of Queen Street, where the sails are and in the old Georges on Queen Street café is a smart looking new burger joint, Galinha, which has been open for a few weeks.
Further up is a cool new coffee shop, Kaffeinated, which occupies the corner spot where Filla Spud served delicious food back in the day.
Kaffeinated (pictured above), which opened last October, serve very good coffee, by the way.
I know everyone is waiting for the new RSL with a Queen Street frontage to be built. And sure, it will make a big difference, but what about in the meantime.
Action is needed now, and it’s up to the new council to show some leadership.
One councillor, Karen Hunt, believes it should be turned into a pedestrian plaza between Dumaresq and Cordeaux Streets as an eat street and with no cars at all.
“I don’t think it will be turned into a pedestrian plaza, but it does need to be revitalised, and that’s another thing people don’t understand: council don’t own the buildings, all we can do is offer incentives for them to do it,’’ says Cr Hunt.
“We’ve got to try to bring the people back to the main street.’’
True, but you’ve got to give them reason to, whether it’s the great food on offer or the safety of the precinct.
Families would not feel safe right now going to Queen Street for a meal after dark.
Is it worth it, all the hard work that will be needed to revitalise our main street?
You bet.
