COOROY will come alive on Sunday 6 June, 2010 when the grand opening of the long awaited and highly anticipated Cooroy Library kicks off at 10am.

Sunshine Coast Regional Council will officially open the $9.7 million state-of-the-art library at Mill Place with this free family fun day.

The day will include live entertainment, a bush tucker workshop, storytelling, a midday barbecue, colourful street performers, a diverse range of events and workshops and guided tours of the newly restored Lower Mill Site.

Program

• 10am – 10.45am: Official opening ceremony in the amphitheatre.
• 10.30am – 11.30am: Games in the green space.
• 10.45am – 11.30am: Storytelling with Gail Robinson in the children’s area.
• 11am – 12pm: Tug of War with the Scouts on the Library's grass roof.
• 11am – 12pm: Bushtucker workshop and tasting with Dale Chapman in the community access rooms.
• 11am – 12pm: Second Life Art with Judy Barass in the global connect room.
• 11.30am – 12.30pm: Games in the green space.
• 12.15pm – 1pm: Storytelling with Gail Robinson in the amphitheatre.
• 12.30pm – 1.30pm: Aboriginal storytelling with Peter Mulcahy in the children’s area.
• 12.30pm – 1.30pm: Books and film talk with Jill Morris in the community access rooms.
• 12.30pm – 1.30pm: Adrenalin Performing Arts Academy on the Library's grass roof.
• 12.30pm – 2pm: Global Connect open for free public computer use in the global connect room.
• 1.30pm – 2pm: Steven Lang performance from A Strong Brown God in the community access rooms.

Guided tours of the restored boiler house and kilns will run each hour and guided tours of the library will be run every half hour from 11am.

Special guests

• Gail Robinson is an accomplished community consultant and professional storyteller with over 25 years practice.
• Dale Chapman is a highly sought after chef, specialising in a mixture of ancient Australian and modern cuisine.
• Judy Barass aka Juanita Deharo, owns, operates and exhibits at ‘The Fine Art Gallery’ in Second Life (virtual world).
• Peter Mulcahy is an accomplished Aboriginal artist who breaths life and relevance back into the ancient stories of the Dreamtime.
• Jill Morris is a children's author and publisher and also a committed conservationist and film maker.
• Steven Lang is the local award-winning author of An Accidental Terrorist and 88 Lines About 44 Women.

Parking

• Scout Den – gold coin donation – Maple Street, past the library.
• Reverse angle parking along Maple Street.
• Front-in parking along Maple Street.
• Apex Park car park off Maple Street.

Public transport to Cooroy

• SUNBUS Route 630, 631: Cooroy, Eumundi, Nambour station, Noosa Heads, Tewantin, Yandina.
• SUNBUS Route 632: Cooran, Cooroy, Noosa Heads, Noosaville, Pomona, Tewantin.

Mill Place

Mill Place is a landmark civic precinct both at the geographic and social heart of the Cooroy community. It is comprised of three components: the library, the Lower Mill Site and The Cooroy Butter Factory Arts Centre.

Library

Cooroy Library is not just about lending books, it is a community centre and a meeting places as well as a learning, recreation and cultural resource. It blends a range of traditional and contemporary functions to deliver a richer experience for the library customer and through demonstrating the best practice in environmentally sustainable design while also delivering practical functionality, Cooroy Library  will inspire and nurture the community's recreational, educational, cultural and creative needs.

Approximately 1,300m², Cooroy Library features:

• Lending and reference collections for all community members.
• Community lounge incorporating reading areas, newspapers, magazines and social spaces.
• A peaceful place for quiet reading, reflection and study.
• Global connect room that includes online services, training facilities and meeting rooms.
• Heritage Studies Unit with focus on heritage aspects of the hinterland.
• Social space and activity areas relevant to particular demographic groups such as a children’s discovery area with large tree shaped seat and young adult’s infotainment zone with PS3 and bean bags.
• Café.
• Customer convenience facilities such as public toilets, parent’s room, waiting area and bicycle racks.
• Customer service points.
• Staff administrative workroom.
• Community square and public art; and
• Landscaping and parking areas.

Opening hours:

• Monday to Friday 9am to 5.30pm.
• Saturday 9am to 12pm.

View Cooroy Library's internal layout.

Lower Mill Site

Council and Commonwealth funding has been used to preserve the original Cooroy boiler house and rejuvinate the Lower Mill Site. The project included the refurbishment of the sawmill boiler as a heritage interpretation centre including restoring the building to a useable space for static display including interpretive panels, photographs and artefacts and the moving of The Cooroora Woodworker’s hut (which was originally located on Marara Street) adjacent to the boiler house and kilns.

The Cooroy Butter Factory Arts Centre

The Butter Factory presents a changing program of local and touring art and heritage exhibitions. An ongoing workshop program offers activities for all ages and interests. Admission is free.

The Butter Factory is also home to a well-equipped ceramics workshop that offers kiln firing services and a range of tutored workshops and classes.

Details...

What: Cooroy Library grand opening event.
When: from 10 am Sunday 6 June, 2010.
Where: Cooroy Library, Maple Street, Cooroy.
For more information: phone: (07) 5454 9000.

Information sourced from the Sunshine Coast Regional Council and the Cooroy Lower Mill Site website.

Read more...

See what else is happening this weekend on the Sunshine Coast with Finda's things to do guide.