Coonabarabran community leaders hope for greater cultural connections and tourism after they celebrated the official opening of the Warrambul Warruwi Sky River Path.

Community members people gathered at Neilson Park for the opening on Saturday 15 March after the path was completed ahead of Christmas last year

The path runs alongside the Castlereagh River and features seating, public art and signage in both English and Gamilaraay.

"People are traveling to here to experience it," Warrumbungle Shire councillors Kodi Brady said.

"It's something to be really proud of, sharing a culture and sharing what the river and that area of town means to First Nations community.

"It's about keeping people more entertained and engaged in our community for longer to spend more."

PHOTO

A chair along the path inscribed in Gammillaroy and English. IMAGE: supplied

Warrumbungle Shire consulted with the Coonabarabran Local Aboriginal Lands Council, which Cr Brady is a member of, and the Flying Mice Elders Group for the project.

Flying Mice member Suellyn Tighe teaches Gamilaraay and translated for the signage.

She said she hopes visitors come away from her work with an appreciation for local Aboriginal culture.

"It's about trying to get the cultural aspect represented in the language, and sometimes it's a bit difficult to get it represented accurately in the English."

"But I think we the idea was to keep it simple so that people could read it and get the concept."

Rehabilitation work has also been carried out along about eight kilometres of the river in Coonabarabran under the Castlereagh River Rehabilitation Project.

That has included uprooting introduced species and noxious weeds, planting natives plants and creating native fish habitats.

Warrumbungle Shire Council received almost $900,000 for thework under the Murray-Darling Healthy Rivers Program.