It was a cold Gunnedah Shire July, but the statistics show Gunnedah warmed up with a good movie or a great book.
Gunnedah Shire Council Manager Economy & Growth Susan Frater said the number of movie-goers almost doubled in comparison with the same period last year.
"This July, 2930 people went to the movies at the Civic Cinema in Gunnedah," Ms Frater said. "That's a big increase on the 1584 people who visited the cinema in July 2023.
"Following the pandemic period when the movie industry was hit hard, we have seen blockbuster movies on our big screen, and July brought us great entertainment in the form of films like Despicable Me 4, Inside Out 2 and Deadpool & Wolverine."
Locals weren't the only people enjoying the cultural precinct. The latest statistics from the Visitor Information Centre show 12,100 people dropped in to find out more about Gunnedah Shire in the year to 30 June 2024.
And over at the Gunnedah Shire Library, our community was also finding an escape from the July cold weather with a good book - whether it was online, audio or in the traditional paperback or hardback version.
Ms Frater said there were 1561 books borrowed in July in addition to all of the online resources available at the Library, including the digital platform Hoopla that allows Library members instant access to read, watch and listen to more than one million titles.
"It's great to see our community embracing the wonderful resources we have available in Gunnedah Shire at the Civic Cinema and the Library," Ms Frater said.
"There are many great movies coming soon, and the library has an incredible selection of books and resources of all kinds."
Caption: Wendy Smith gets stuck into a good read in a cosy corner of Gunnedah Shire Library.
