The floodwaters gutted them. Now, almost five years on, every one of them is back.
All 45 building projects in Lismore City Council’s Flood Restoration Portfolio are now complete, with dozens of cultural and sporting hubs across the city restored and revitalised after the 2022 floods.
The crown jewel, Lismore City Hall, had to be stripped back to its bare shell and rebuilt from the inside out. It is due to reopen in early 2027.
“The City Hall is a cultural jewel of Lismore,” said NSW Minister for Recovery Janelle Saffin.
“The restoration of 45 buildings across Lismore marks an important milestone in the recovery journey of our community that is more than symbolic. It’s real progress in the places where we work, learn and play.”
The $112 million works were mainly jointly funded by the Albanese and Minns governments through the Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements, administered by the NSW Reconstruction Authority.
Extra funding came from Create NSW, the State Library of NSW, and Lismore City Council.
The restored buildings range from major civic and cultural sites, including the revitalised Lismore Regional Gallery, Lismore Library, and Municipal Building, to community sporting hubs such as Albert Park Baseball Complex, Lismore Basketball Stadium, and Lismore Tennis Club.
The portfolio by the numbers:
- $112 million invested
- 21 public amenities buildings upgraded
- 11 sporting clubs and community groups returned to their facilities
- 4 cultural buildings restored and reopened
City Hall was the program’s most ambitious job. The iconic venue needed a complete internal reconstruction, with its layout reconfigured to improve how it works, make it more flexible, and help it stand up to future floods.
“It’s been almost five years since the people of Lismore and the Northern Rivers experienced the terrible 2022 flooding events,” Saffin said.
“But in that time, our community has banded together and built back stronger.”
For Lismore locals, these buildings are part of everyday life. They are where athletes train and compete, artists show their work, people learn, and residents connect.
“The restoration of these facilities has always been about people,” said Lismore City Mayor Steve Krieg.
“They’re the places where our community gathers, learns, celebrates achievements, supports one another and creates memories.”
“After everything our community has been through, seeing these spaces full of people again is incredibly meaningful.”
Federal Minister for Emergency Management Kristy McBain said the work went beyond bricks and mortar.
“The completion of these projects marks a major milestone in Lismore’s flood recovery, restoring community facilities that bring people together while strengthening their resilience to future disasters,” McBain said.
“Recovering from disaster is about more than rebuilding buildings. It is about helping communities restore the services, facilities and spaces they rely on every day.”
Getting all 45 projects over the line was no easy feat.
“Delivering 45 building projects required extraordinary commitment from Council staff, contractors, consultants, suppliers and funding partners working towards a common goal of returning these facilities to the community,” said Flood Restoration Portfolio Executive Director Charlotte Foy.
“Many of these buildings presented unique technical challenges, but every project was driven by the same objective: returning important community facilities so residents could once again access the places that matter to them.”
“Seeing them open, active and contributing to everyday life once again is an achievement everyone involved can be proud of.”
Saffin said the investment would leave Lismore better placed for whatever comes next.
“By investing more than $100 million we’ve been able to ensure that not only will the people of Lismore be better prepared and more resilient in the face of future disasters, but that we have the infrastructure, facilities and spaces to come together as a community and thrive,” she said.
For Mayor Krieg, it all comes back to one thing.
“It’s a reminder that recovery is ultimately about restoring the places that bring us together,” Mayor Krieg said.
The full list of projects is available at https://www.lismore.nsw.gov.au/Building-and-planning/Flood-Restoration-Portfolio/Buildings-parks-and-facilities.
Read all the way through to the end of the story? So did lots of other people. Advertise with North Coast Times to reach locals who are interested and engaged. Find out more here.