By Abbey Cannan
A final call has gone out for hinterland residents to rate their neighbourhood in Noosa Council’s Liveability Survey, which closes on Sunday.
Council has received a staggering 1500 responses so far, but numbers are disappointingly low from hinterland residents, particularly in Kin Kin, Cooran and Pomona.
Cooran residents Julia and Mark Winters and their teenage daughtersJosephine and Edith, jumped at the chance to help make their town an even better place to live.
As secondary school teachers, Julia and Mark moved to the coast due to work commitments and have lived in Cooran for almost 13 years.
“We love the small community and felt part of that early on when I attended a playgroup at Cooran State School when my girls were young,“ Julia said.
“The town is very eclectic with people from all over Australia and the world finding their way here which I’ve always found interesting.
“There is a strong arts community, lovely local businesses, more recently over the past five years, and community events like the Tall Trees festival,” Julia said.
Noosa Council principal planner Michelle Tucker said feedback from residents like the Winters family was critically important to help guide future council decisions.
“We want to hear from everyone in the shire,” she said.
“We’ve only had 20 responses from Noosa North Shore and just over 30 from Kin Kin, Boreen Point and Cooran.”
Julia said she loved the laidback vibe and sense of safety her family felt in Cooran.
“We know our kids are out catching up with other friends down the road and they all look out for each other,“ she said.
“My friends that I’ve made here are lifelong friends now and we all look after each other during tough times.
“One of our favourite perks of living in Cooran is its proximity to the beach which is only 30 minutes away.
“We love the beach and Mark is a mad keen surfer so it was an affordable option to buy our house here but still be close to the beach.“
Julia said the lifestyle was energising, which helped the parents cope with their busy schedules as teachers.
“It has been wonderful having all the kids, including cousins, grow up together.
“More recently too, we love the local restaurants, Gin distillery and Brewery to hang out at.“
Julia said the main issue she would like to see improved in Cooran was the infrastructure.
“Our biggest issue being that we have no kerb, and issues with irrigation that only the last two houses in the street have,“ she said.
“All of the other houses have a kerb except ours and our neighbour’s house, and years of requests to the council have had no resolution.
“Also there is no sewerage which was apparently supposed to be put in by 2011.
“There is nothing much else I would say except that I think this place will be our place for many years to come.“
The Liveability Survey closes Sunday night. Simply complete the survey and you have the chance to win one of five $100 vouchers to be used at a number of Noosa businesses.
Take the survey at placescore.org/noosa or on the council website.
