Spring sprung on Wednesday with the most magnificent day you could possibly imagine.

Not a breath of wind, hardly a cloud in the sky and a healthy, warm burst of soul-cleansing sunshine.

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Yet it was more than just the seasons changing that caused a sense of excitement.

There was a hint of transformation in the air as well, for both our city and the community more broadly.

This week we saw the release of a transformational project for the city with WIN Corporation launching The Grand, the $400 million development which will completely change the way our CBD operates forever.

The Grand is the realisation of a long-held dream by WIN Corporation's founding father Bruce Gordon.

The project involves the redevelopment of an entire city block bordered by Crown, Atchison, Burelli and Keira streets.

Yet it would be wrong to simply describe this as a "development".

This is a vision.

A vision which rethinks and reinvigorates Wollongong's central business district.

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And it is a vision which has the community at heart when you think about the green space incorporated into the design and the night time activation it promises.

Grab your swimmers, there is even a pool.

The Grand aims to take the community's engagement in our CBD from eight hours a day to 18 with all that it offers.

Think about the CBD as it is now. Unless you want to blast out your own rendition of one of Farnsy greatest hits, or go for a nice meal at one of our many fine eateries, what engages our CBD outside of business hours?

The Grand is a living, breathing entity focussed on getting people out of sterile unit blocks and supporting other businesses in doing so.

The Grand wasn't the only reason for a heightened sense of optimism this week.

There was also a strong sense of impending transformation for us all in terms of the COVID-19 lockdowns we have endured.

Our government leaders are now actively talking about timeframes and targets for what our life looks like in the not too distant future.

Whilst we might be able to get to Paris before Perth, it's certainly a promising change in the narrative.

NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian said this week we all have to accept the need to live with COVID and a key to doing just that lies in vaccination.

Thanks to the wonderful support of the NSW community, we are flying towards 80 per cent vaccination target that has been set for us and a return to the lifestyle (and jobs) we all miss so much.

Here in our community last week, we saw the launch of the #vaxtheillawarra campaign.

The campaign, the brainchild of Destination Wollongong life member Vicki Tiegs, is aimed at engaging our own community in reaching the target of 80 per cent vaccination for the Illawarra region.

You can get behind the campaign by using the #vaxtheillawarra hashtag on social media.

Most importantly, if you haven't already, make sure you are booking your vaccination to help us reach that 80 per cent target to allow us to open back up.

We have got a lot to look forward to as a region. In just a little over 12 months we will play host to one of the world's biggest cycling events with the 2022 UCI Road World Championships.

There will be a lot for us to work together on as a community before the eyes of the world fall upon us next September.

The tide of life is turning and soon we will be able to move on from the heartache, the friction, frustration and anger we have all felt during lockdown.

A great Australian philosopher once sang "we're all someone's daughter, we're all someone's son".

We might not all agree or get along, but underneath it all the overwhelming majority of us are good people just trying to make our way in the world.

We should never lose sight of that.

Hang in there. Look after yourself and each other.

Enjoy Spring and the transformation it brings.

And to all the dads out there, have a great Father's Day, tomorrow.

Mark Sleigh is the general manager of Destination Wollongong

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