Brochure a drawcard to Ferguson Valley features

A $100,000 marketing campaign to promote the Ferguson Valley and surrounding areas is under way, with the launch of a new self-drive tourism brochure.

Collie-Preston MLA Mick Murray last week launched the brochure, which promotes the tourism potential of the area to visitors and a target audience in Perth.

The 36-page brochure highlights six routes to explore the area, including photo spots, food venues and activities, and is one step in the campaign which is a collaboration between the Dardanup Shire Council, Ferguson Valley Marketing and Australia’s South West.

The campaign was funded as part of a $300,000 election commitment to promote the tourism potential of the Ferguson Valley and Wellington Forest through Royalties for Regions.

Mr Murray said there was a rapidly-growing list of reasons to visit the Ferguson Valley and Wellington National Park with something on offer for everybody.

We just need to get the word out about what’s in our neck of the woods.

“For many years, we’ve talked about the beauty of the Ferguson Valley. Previously, there was some trouble with road issues but they’ve been fixed and there’s new signage so people know where they’re going, which is very important.

“Along with that will come the (Wellington Dam wall) mural, which will bring a lot of traffic. We should ride off the back of that to get people to stay.”

Mr Murray said since people could not travel to Bali or overseas for a holiday, they were heading to places such as Margaret River and Exmouth.

“We’ve got to cut them off in the middle,” he said.

It’s an hour and a half shorter than Margaret River and probably a few dollars cheaper, so to get people to stay in Bunbury and in the Donnybrook, Collie area and then recreate in those areas is important.

The marketing campaign is expected to gear up at the end of September and will see the brochures distributed to visitor centres and cafes throughout Perth, along with online, as well as a social media campaign promoting the region. Events will also be organised for 2021 to provide an additional drawcard to the region.