What a difference seven years can make!
This week marks seven years since I started with Mildura City Heart.
While it might be seven years in one position, it definitely hasn’t been seven years of doing the one job.
Very early on I learned that no two days or weeks are the same in our office, or in our City Heart.
In seven years it’s been a privilege to wear many hats – event coordinator, art manager, project facilitator, volunteer wrangler, school holidays fun orchestrator, marketing machine, amateur gardener, lady tradie, City Heart merch sales, and so much more.
Seven years in the role has flown and I feel especially lucky to look back on how far our city heart village and precinct has come and look ahead with excitement for what’s next.
We’ve come a long way – and been through a lot – since I first stepped foot in the office.
When I started, foot traffic was low, vacancy was high, and it had me wondering how things could be turned around.
With the support and backing of a dedicated, progressive and proactive board – and traders who share a vision for what our town can be – it’s been a joy to witness the transformation of our CBD across these seven years.
We’ve seen the place come to life with art murals, vibrant branding and marketing, music, fun and diverse events, welcoming a broad range of new traders, and seeing community interaction with the space, especially since the Placemaking Project began.
It’s a treat to hear the glee of children (and adults) interacting with the new misting arches, to watch as groups and families throw some basketball hoops, or play our giant games under the shade, to hear live music across our CBD and, amongst other things, bring the experience of ice-skating to our semi-arid city.
If you’d told me when I started that I’d still be here seven years later, I wouldn’t have believed you.
But, in truth, there’s still so much more to do – and so much to look forward to.
I started here because I truly love this place and want to be a part of making it the best it can be.
I’m looking forward to seeing the next stage of the CBD Revitalisation Project roll out, including lighting and sound features, envisioning a Feast Street redevelopment with detail designs in progress, and installing another mural in the precinct – watch this space!
We’ve recently confirmed the special rate with Mildura Rural City Council (MRCC) for the next six years, giving traders confidence that we’ll be here to support them.
Taking on board the feedback and needs of our traders, we’ve developed our 2025-2030 Strategic Plan, which will soon be presented to MRCC for approval, before rolling up our sleeves and getting stuck into the work to make our hometown a place to be proud of.
Let’s get to it!
