We recently reached a momentous project milestone as we opened the doors to Ngutungka West Lakes, our $8m redevelopment project.
Located in our City in the WEST Development as part of the new dining and lifestyle precinct, this is a place for connection, discovery and inspiration.
Ngutungka is Kaurna for 'place of knowledge' and has been built with our community in mind, for now and generations to come.
Walking in you are greeted by wide open spaces, the flexible workshop and meeting rooms. Around the corner, you’ll find the library collection, studio, kitchen with spaces to sit, read or study found at various locations inside the building. There is also a parents room and Changing Places, a fully accessible toilet. Ngutungka West Lakes is an integrated space and will feature workshops, programs and services that will be available to our local and wider community.
“Library and community centres play an important role in our society. While they provide vital services to our local and wider community, they also offer a range of indirect benefits too which includes social inclusion, a sense of belonging, digital literacy and lifelong learning. Ngutungka West Lakes is the new way forward as we bring our libraries and community centres together and is the pathway to a future way of operating,” Mayor Angela Evans said.
“At Commercial & General we always look to take on projects that matter to us and our community and WEST is certainly one of those projects. The new library and community centre is a fantastic new asset for all residents of the local area to use and enjoy. We are very pleased to have worked closely with the City of Charles Sturt to deliver this great outcome,” Commercial & General Project Director Dwayne Erich said.
Ngutungka West Lakes is the result of consultation and conversations with our local community and organisations. A huge thank you to everyone who shared their feedback, to our teams who worked on the project and to our project partners Commercial & General and Tandem Building Group.
Our Opening Day
Following the Acknowledgement of Country, delivered by proud Ngarrindjeri woman Tara Budarick, Mayor Angela Evans and Elected Members Stuart Ghent, Kelly Thomas and Tolley Wasylenko conducted the opening ceremony before welcoming an excited crowd into the facility.
Locals and visitors alike explored the various features and activities including free workshops, a fully-functioning kitchen and a vibrant digital lab amongst a host of other attractions.
West Lakes resident Greg said the facility would add value for everyone in the community.
“Everybody that comes here and has a look can’t help but get inspired. There’s something here for all,” he said.
Janet of Semaphore Park agreed, welcoming the accessibility provided for people in wheelchairs.
“Really well done, well designed, easily accessible, wheelchair friendly. You can come here and spend the day really if you wanted to,” she said.
“I’ll be back, yes for sure.”
Thank you to everyone who joined us for Opening Day.
Find out more about Ngutungka West Lakes and follow our Ngutungka West Lakes and Charles Sturt Libraries Facebook pages for more news, information and events.
