Walcha Council received a grant of $100,000 to develop the strategy from the NSW Office of Environment and Heritage as part of its ' Heritage Near Me' incentive grant program.

The company Perception Planning was hired, and its project team prepared the 34-page document and made a video of the planning process, which included a stakeholder session earlier this year.

On February 11, representatives from a range of community groups including; Amaroo Local Aboriginal Land Council; Walcha Central School; National Parks and Wildlife; Walcha Historical Society; Pioneer Cottage Museum; and Walcha Visitor Information volunteers attended a planning session in the Walcha Council Chambers to discuss the production of the plan

The workshop led to the 'identification of key Walcha heritage achievements, opportunities and challenges' and these are outlined in the document which also lists more than 30 actions to deliver the strategy - including the creation of three short films to ' get people excited about the heritage'.

The implementation of these actions will be overlooked by an 'Implementation Panel' that will meet on a bi-annual basis to ensure delivery of the plan.

Earlier this year Ms Libby Cummings who was leading the process on behalf of Walcha Council said the plan aimed to articulate the individuality of Walcha and bring the areas' European and Aboriginal heritage together so it can be appreciated by the community.

"We are working with the community to work out what they want," Ms Cummings said.

"The thing about all the groups involved is that they all have a perspective that they are passionate about, but sometimes that passion can be isolating so the project is about building and working together. "

The executive summary of the document states; 'the plan presents the commitment from the people of Walcha to the conservation and celebration of the region's rich indigenous and non-indigenous heritage. It provides a point of reference for the identification of past achievements, challenges and future actions'.

At a tourism conference in 2017, a representative from the NSW Office of Environment and Heritage told Walcha councillor Jen Kealey and tourism manager Susie Crawford about the Heritage Near Me funding program and how it could help local governments leverage and protect their community's heritage .