Italian festival was well-attended

Central Coast Italian Festival was held in Ettalong on Saturday and Sunday, May 16 and 17.

The festival was well-attended with young and old enjoying the happy atmosphere.

Galleria Ettalong Beach has presented the annual festival every April since 2010.

The festival aims to provide a taste of Italy's culture and diversity to local residents and guests.

SOURCE:

Website, 29 Apr 2026

Galleria Ettalong Beach

Unexpected tree grant issued for $600,000

Central Coast Council has received belated approval of its $600,000 application to plant 360 trees and 1500 square metres of "biodiverse understorey" on the Peninsula.

It was one of five councils with projects approved, totalling $1.8 million, which were not included in the January funding announcement under the Greening Our Cities 2025 program.

The announcement on Friday, May 8, came just days after the Council decided at an "extraordinary meeting" on Tuesday, May 5, to cut its own tree planting budget for the Peninsula to around $9000.

Announcing funding for the Peninsula project, Minister for the Central Coast Mr David Harris said: "The Greening our City program supports councils to grow tree canopy cover, which helps reduce urban heat and boosts biodiversity, so neighbourhoods are more liveable and climate resilient.

"Planting more trees across Ettalong, Umina and Woy Woy is a practical way to help beat the heat in our growing community," he said.

"More trees mean more shade, cooler streets, and a better, more sustainable quality of life.

"The Greening our City program is helping our region grow into a healthier, more resilient place for future generations."

He said that almost 90 per cent of plantings in the 2025 program would go into sites that had less than 20 per cent canopy cover.

"These plantings will cool neighbourhoods, improve air quality, and support communities in areas that need it most."

Member for Gosford Ms Liesl Tesch said: "I've been fiercely advocating for further investment in greening across the Gosford electorate and I am thrilled to say that the Government is delivering $600,000 to tackle urban heat across the Peninsula.

"This is fantastic for our community and will make a real difference in shaping the liveability of our community into the future.

"This is the kind of investment that makes the Peninsula a better place to live, not just for the residents of today but for the families who will call this community home for generations to come."

Minister for Planning and Public Spaces Mr Paul Scully said: "This is another example of the Government helping create high-quality green spaces."

Grants totalling about $10 million were initially awarded under the 2025 program in January, going to 28 projects for 24 councils.

The program website now states that there are 33 projects funded for 29 councils.

The projects now total almost $12 million dollars, despite a previously announced cap of $10 million.

No reference is made to the change, which apparently results from a second round of approvals under the 2025 program, or how this came about.

However, in his media release, Mr Harris stated: "The program is funded by the NSW Climate Change Fund and administered by the Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure, with applications assessed by an independent panel and overseen by a probity advisor."

Mr Scully said with the January announcement that the department had offered to meet with Central Coast Council to provide feedback "to help strengthen the competitiveness of future applications".

While Mr Harris said a list of successful applicants was available on the NSW Government website, the newly-funded projects are only found in a comparison of two separate NSW Government portals.

They are the Grants and Funding portal, which shows the original 28, and the Greening our Cities portal which shows the current 33 approved projects.

The other new approvals are $647,625 to The Hills Shire, $299,800 to Lane Cove Council, $200,000 to Hunters Hill Council and $57,500 to Waverley Council.

The Grow Urban Shade Trees group, which has been campaigning for tree-planting on the Peninsula, said it was "a complete surprise".

Group member Ms Deb Sunartha said they were "both excited and eager to find out the detail of how the greening will be rolled out and how these funds will be put to best use".

"We thank the state government for stepping in where our local government has been totally inadequate in its funding model."

SOURCE:

Media release, 8 May 2026

David Harris, Minister for the Central Coast Council cuts tree budget - Page 3