When you think of Bowral, most people think of a charming rural town in the Southern Highlands that people visit to escape from the city.
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It is the unique heritage of the town that Highlanders are proud of.
But is this in danger of being lost?
John Hewson’s most recent article in the Southern Highland News on January 27 addressed the “decline” of Bowral.
His view that Bowral was slowly losing its appeal as more national corporations come to town struck a chord with the Southern Highlands community.
The article has already reached thousands of people and elicited more than 200 comments from the public.
Many agree with Mr Hewson that Bowral has lost its charm and there seems to be no clear plan for future development.
On the other hand, some people have argued that if people are willing to walk a short distance parking is not a problem.
Others have said they always have a pleasant retail experience in Bowral. But these people appear to be in the minority.
For a lot of people, the two main issues of shopping in Bowral is the lack of parking and poor customer service.
Others have raised the issue that many shops are not pram or wheelchair accessible which makes it difficult to shop in the main street of Bowral.
There have been plenty of locals who said they rarely or never shop in Bowral due to these problems.
Others have said the locally-owned, unique businesses that are there struggle to survive due to high rents which has opened the door for larger companies such as Peter Alexander or Cotton On.
While it may appear to be all doom and gloom, many have also come forward with ideas to help reinvigorate the town.
Craig Golding suggested on Facebook monthly twilight markets could be held and live music played in Corbett Plaza on weekends.
He also suggested the introduction of Easter markets and the reintroduction of the Carpathon.
Others suggested blocking off the main street (Bong Bong Street) for pedestrian access only and bringing back events such as Day on the Green that will attract visitors.
But a compelling argument and one to consider was that if we don’t shop locally and support Highlands businesses then there will no longer be any unique and individual businesses left to set Bowral apart from the rest of the country.
