REPORTS of Wyong Shire Council’s signed agreement for the sale of land to the Australian Chinese Theme Park has Wyong Mayor, Doug Eaton, singing from Shoalhaven Council’s Shaolin development song book.
As quoted, Mr Eaton shares Shoalhaven Council’s faith in his shire’s proposed development becoming a tourist mecca bringing millions of dollars worth of tourism with a flow-on effect to the region’s economy.
Mayor Eaton, who perhaps isn’t aware what’s proposed for the Shoalhaven, also believes “outside the Opera House and Harbour Bridge this has the potential to be among the biggest tourist attractions in the state”.
Certainly, Wyong seems to have got the better deal.
A 15 ha site in Warnervale, for which Wyong Council reportedly paid $30,000 in 1977, is being sold for $10 million.
The Shoalhaven Council’s land parcel comprising Comberton Grange, Pine Forest and hard rock quarry cost: Comberton Grange ($1.3 million in 1985); Pine Forest ($192,000 in 1995); and the quarry, for which quarry products had paid off setting up costs and were contributing to Council’s Cultural Fund, its sale representing an unknowable sum of revenue forgone.
All up, the amount of land ‘sold’ to the Shaolin Temple Foundation (Australia) Ltd totals 1248.36 ha for an asking price of $5 million. It should be something of an embarrassment that Shoalhaven City Council has been hanging out for the balance of its contract price ($4.75 million) since the original settlement date in June, 2006.
Wyong appear to be getting much the same commercial package as proposed for the Shoalhaven (academy, three and four storey buildings, restaurants, hotels, theatre, etc).
The icing on Wyong’s commercial cake is to be a replica of the gates to the Forbidden City in Beijing and a nine storey temple housing a giant Buddha.
The Shoalhaven seems to have been bested by Wyong’s pagoda.
Theirs is higher.
Now one can only speculate on what will come up next. And where? The Great Wall in Woop Woop?
J.A. Gjedsted
Vincentia.
