Few places capture Kiama’s charm quite like its harbour, a postcard-perfect curve backed by Norfolk Pines, fishing boats and the hum of visitors who seem awed that such a scene still exists this close to one of the world’s most famous harbours.

It is undoubtedly the jewel in our town’s crown.

Now, that same idyllic pocket has become the latest stage for one of Kiama’s most enduring dramas: the battle between progress and preservation.

In June 2025, Kiama Council resolved to establish a working group to provide a mechanism for Council and the community to shape the future of Kiama Harbour.

“Fast-forward” eight months and Council is now calling for interested and “qualified” community members to join the Kiama Harbour Revitalisation Working Group.

On paper, this should be a constructive forum.

Its aim is to guide the future of the harbour precinct ensuring that the heritage, tourism and business elements align in a way that benefits the town.

Yet within days of its announcement, and some social media from Councillor Mike Cains, community Facebook pages were alight with suspicion.

Posts decrying “dollar signs,” “overdevelopment,” and “here we go again” quickly gained traction.

This reaction is hardly new but is a natural progression of the conversation about the future of our town.

With Council having moved forward and set the boundary of “going out” and expanding the town, and “going up” (though we are still not sure what’s happening at Akuna and Shoalhaven Street), it’s onto the next frontier: the Harbour.

Our community has shown an instinctive vigilance toward change.

We are fiercely protective of the town’s scale and identity and traits that underpin its appeal but can also stifle needed renewal.

Critics of the backlash argue Kiama risks paralysis by nostalgia.

Infrastructure near the harbour is ageing, access is uneven and the tourism economy which is central to local livelihoods depends on reinvestment and revitalisation.

Without careful upgrades, the harbour could fade from charm into complacency.

Supporters of revitalisation see the working group as a rare chance to shape outcomes early rather than reacting late, and also securing tangible outcomes.

Still, perception matters. When trust in Council and developers runs thin, even the most promising ideas are viewed through a lens of distrust.

Transparency will therefore be critical: open meetings, publishable minutes, clear visuals of any proposed changes.

A harbour renewal done with the community, not to it, could reset the tone.

Kiama has always been defined by its edges where land meets sea, character meets growth, and locals meet newcomers.

The harbour revitalisation debate is not simply about bricks, boardwalks and (possibly) beverages on the water.

It’s about who gets to decide what Kiama Harbour becomes next and whether its people can find common ground.

So, when Cr Cains says the working group will “get cracking on the job of making sure that the jewel is everything that it can be”, The Bugle’s View is that we hope that this next frontier is a positive one, and not more of the same.