Entry Details

Cabonne Country Small Towns Development

Cabonne Council and Cabonne Country Development Group

Cabonne Shire consists of eight small villages with populations between 200 and 1600 people. In 1997, Cabonne Council received state funding to establish a small towns development project for these villages. The Council wanted to establish whether or not the villages in their region were growing and whether the villagers were considering moving to larger regional centres.

As part of a series of consultations, the Council conducted a photographic survey of the villages, asking villagers from all walks of like to photograph their towns-through their eyes-choosing six things they liked about their village and six things they disliked. These photographs were publicly displayed in the villages and comments about them recorded and analysed by the village project teams.

This process identified key development issues across the region and formed the basis of the "Vision 2007" strategy. The Council adopted the Strategy in 1998. The project has fostered a ‘sense of belonging’ across the region with residents actively participating in the development of their region through regular meetings. The project has been included a case in the NSW Department of State and Regional Development’s recently published manual on community and economic development.