The new facility has been a long time coming for the community of Wellington, as well as residents of smaller centres who would frequent the old town pool.

It was quite nostalgic to go there as I used to take my daughters to the old facility for swimming lessons and squad training,

and to see what is now on offer for the community is something we should all be proud of.

The NSW Government provided $8 million in funding for the new centre - which features an eight-lane heated Olympic pool,

a heated exercise and learn to swim pool, a splash pad, multipurpose rooms and all new amenities, came about via the Stronger Communities Fund -as part of the merger process that created Dubbo Regional Council.

It was great to see Wellington's greatest swimmer, Paralympic gold medallist Ben Austin,

swim the first lap in the new pool, and to see so many people at the facility on the opening weekend shows it is a real game changer for the Wellington community.

After the pool I ventured to the now-famous Wellington Cob Loaf Festival, which is something that has grown enormously since its inception a couple of years ago.

The Festival used to form part of the WomDomNom paddling event, however organisers elected not to go ahead with that this year due to the water situation.

That didn't stop them from hosting the Cob Loaf Festival though, and the standard of entries this year was very high.

I don't think the organisers knew how big this event would become when the idea was first discussed but it is an example of thinking outside the square and it has been a winner for Wellington.

A big congratulations to Diego, whose steak-inspired cob was crowned as World Champion

Last week in Parliament the Water Supply (Critical Needs) Bill 2019, aimed at fast-tracking critical water infrastructure projects including dams and pipelines in Dubbo, Orange and Tamworth by up to six to nine months, passed the NSW Parliament.

The temporary legislation will provide streamlined approvals for water infrastructure projects where there is critical town water supply need for the next two years.

The Bill allows for the Wyangala Dam upgrade, the new Dungowan Dam, a proposed new dam on the Mole River and the Western Weirs Program to be assessed as Critical State Significant Developments under the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act.

This new legislation will be in effect for two years and can only be extended by up to 12 months by the Minister for Water, should towns continue to experience severe drought risks.

Since 2017, the NSW Government has invested $1.8 billion as part of its Drought Package to date, providing assistance to residents in Regional NSW who need it most.

This legislation ensures we are ready to capture water during the next downpour.

Next Monday, Premier Gladys Berejiklian and the NSW Cabinet will be venturing to Bourke to take part in Community Cabinet in one of the state's most drought-affected regions.

On their way through and on their way back, some of the Ministers will be stopping by in Dubbo to make some major announcements that will be of great benefit to the Dubbo electorate.

I look forward to sharing those with you all in the next couple of columns.

Until next week,

Dugald