Hop-on/off bus for Collie, Black Diamond, Welli Dam

From hidden gems to the Instagram-famous Black Diamond, Collie’s best spots are more accessible than ever this summer.

In a bid to boost tourism and showcase the region, a new hop-on, hop-off bus hit the road this week, taking people to and from town to parks, swimming holes and visitor centres.

It is the brainchild of Collie Visitor Centre manager Janine Page, and will run four times a day on Tuesdays and Fridays, stopping at locations including Wellington Dam, Black Diamond and Minninup Pool.

“I think it’s important to give people easy access to all of the locations around Collie,” she said.

“We’re extremely lucky here, we’ve got a lot of places that are still being discovered and people don’t realise the beauty we have down here. So as it’s becoming, more and more popular, we’re trying to make it easier for people to get around.”

She said it would also get rid of some of the traffic at the tourist hotspots, make it easier for those caravanning out of town to get into town, as well as give local teenagers something to do over the school holidays.

And the cherry on top — it’s just a gold coin donation.

Sponsored by Bendigo Bank, Collie Bus Service and the Collie Visitor Centre, Ms Page said the aim was to make it available to as many people as possible, and put Collie in the spotlight.

“I’m hoping it gets well utilized so we’ll be able to expand it over more holidays and to different places.”