Activities on the water, on the land and in the sky drew tens of thousands of visitors to our city across Saturday and Sunday, with Superboats zooming across the lake, jet skis roaring around a circuit near Eleebana and aerobatic pilots wowing the crowds with their mastery of the skies.

I got first-hand experience of just how fast some of the those speedsters travel across the lake when the organisers of the Lake Macquarie PWC Series put me on the back of a jet ski last Friday – and all I can say is, I’m glad they were taking it easy on me!

On shore, there were plenty of activities to keep visitors busy and happy, including markets, a food festival, live entertainment and exhibitions.

The weekend had a great vibe. The Lake Mac Big Weekend is only two years old, but has already become one of the must-do activities on the Lake Macquarie calendar.

I was out on the water on Sunday and it was wonderful to look back from the boat and see enthusiastic crowds lining the foreshore all the way from Marmong Point to Eleebana.

I would like to pay tribute to all of those who contributed to the running of the nine events staged over the weekend, and also to our community for coming out and supporting the Big Weekend, despite some inclement weather on Saturday.

It is fantastic to have an event like this that not only brings our community together but shows off our beautiful City and lake to visitors and water sports fans from other parts of the country.

I had the pleasure of attending the opening of a very special sensory garden at Boolaroo Public School on Friday, which has been created through a partnership between the school and Our Community Place.

The project has seen an overgrown area of the school surrounds turned into a delightful garden of discovery, incorporating recycled objects such as an old boat and bike into the landscaping.

The garden, to be used for learning and enjoyment, is wonderful area of natural beauty designed to arouse children’s curiosity and invite play.

It is a great example of collaboration between a school and local community group and I congratulate all those involved in bringing the project to fruition.