A GRAND plan to transform Victoria Park into a major tourism hot spot has been given the green light.
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Now, all that's needed is a name and the funds to make it happen.
Tamworth Regional Council (TRC) voted to approve the master plan with all the bells and whistles on Tuesday night, complete with a koala enclosure and space for a coffee van.
All the councillors threw their support behind the idea, but a question mark hangs over the future name of the park.
Councillor Glenn Inglis suggested changing the name to better reflect the significant Aboriginal history in the area.
"It is such an important precinct for the growth of the city and the region over a long period of time," he said.
"I think the naming of the precincts is something that's really important and for me I strongly encourage us to think about trying to connect the Indigenous history, the Aboriginal heritage up there because there's actually a lot of connections in that site."
The Victoria Park master plan canvasses the Tamworth Marsupial Park, the botanic gardens, the Tamworth Regional Astronomy and Science Centre, the miniature railway, the lookout and the Flagstaff Mountain trail.
The development plans include a tourist train to connect the botanic garden and marsupial park, an education amphitheatre, boardwalks and improvements to the look out.
Councillor Juanita Wilson said it all breeds excitement for the future of the area.
"It's quite interesting, because many people didn't have a clue what you were talking about when you say 'Victoria Park', nobody had any idea what it was," she said.
"So maybe one of the first things we do is look at giving it a name, or branding it really conspicuously."
The next step is to look at state and federal funding opportunities for the plan, that's expected to take 10 to 15 years to fully develop.
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In the meantime, Cr Charles Impey said there's huge potential to create partnerships with science organisations or the Department of Education and Training with an environmental education centre.
"I think it's the perfect spot for one of those, as well as other partnerships with the CSIRO and other science organisations," he said.
"There are so many opportunities to engage and produce partnerships that will be fruitful for the region and the precinct."
It was suggested that the Tamworth Men's Shed could also benefit from the developments.
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