A long neglected Lawson landmark has been properly restored to full colour and is back on the map.
The Wilson Park concrete water feature and map was unveiled more than 90 years ago on May 12, 1932, during a special event attended by local dignitaries and school children from the nearby Stratford Girls School.
Ten years ago, concerned members of Lawson's Friends of Wilson Park, including Andrea Jenkins, contacted Ward 2 Cr Romola Hollywood and The Gazette about the crumbling feature.
The map and surrounding ponds had deteriorated from lack of maintenance. Cape York was crumbling, other parts of the continent were cracking, the bridge was closed and the ponds were choked with weeds and silt. Two hundred people signed a petition to push the council to save it.
At the time Cr Hollywood said she was "horrified" by the state of disrepair of "Lawson's own version of Monet's bridge". She said the map was rare, as well as larger and more accurate than others of its era. Liz Benson from Friends of Wilson Park told the 2015 council meeting that if urgent repairs were not made "the historical nature of it is going to be ruined," adding the bridge was "hanging on by a thread".
Delayed by COVID, and with the first restoration destroyed by floods, Ms Jenkins said she had remained "hopeful" of a good final result even when the bridge broke a second time.
Ms Jenkins said she was "pretty chuffed" to see the final repairs done. She singled out the efforts of Cr Hollywood "who did a lot of the legwork".
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"We got fed up with seeing it in such bad condition ... I think if you live in the Blue Mountains long enough you get a real feel for protecting the environment."
The works undertaken included bridge repairs, stonework and channel restoration, cleaning of the water feature, significant ground water management works, removal of weeds and new interpretative signage.
The feature was originally built as an educational tool for children. Designed by shire president Percy Wilson and authenticated by a Sydney University geography professor, it was carved out of a natural rock outcrop by local Frank Higgison. The rare 32 ft by 24 ft water feature and 145 metre stone channel lies just 300 metres from Lawson city centre, in the gully south of Lawson pool.
The map is now listed on the council's local heritage register. Council said the recent conservation works cost $100,000.
Mayor Mark Greenhill said the map and its associated channels and weirs were now secured "for the generations to come" and protected under the Local Environment Plan.
Ms Jenkins said her grandchildren, like their parents before them, could now enjoy standing on the Northern Territory or in Tasmania or racing boats around the continent.
