Visitor centre hits the road

The Dardanup Shire Council has allocated $25,000 towards the mobile visitor centre initiative for Gnomesville.

Cr Peter Robinson said the initiative was a bid to draw more tourism to the Ferguson Valley region and surrounding areas and to promote the various activities on offer.

“The reason I think it’s worth while is because this plan aims to benefit the whole of the shire in terms of publicising tourist opportunities within the whole of the shire and I think that’s a good thing,” Cr Robinson said

“Tourism has a knock-on affect and for every dollar spent, about 91 cents has a knock-on expenditure by other industries besides tourism.

“If this project of the mobile visitors centre sends people to the various tourism venues in our shire then that can only be good.”

While shire president Mick Bennett initially did not support the motion, he said afterwards he was willing to give it a go.

“I respect council’s decision and I see it as a project that I hope works to raise funds for them in order that they can do more marketing,” Cr Bennett said.

Cr Robinson said the main idea behind the van was to highlight activities and businesses in the region and surrounding areas outside of the Ferguson Valley.

“The mobile visitors centre has the potential for selling some coffees, but the main aim of the van is to promote the various businesses in the Ferguson Valley and beyond,” Cr Robinson said.

“I did a stint out at Gnomesville myself and I spoke to everybody I could and the knowledge people had of our area and neighbouring areas was pretty thin and I think this has the potential to broaden people’s understanding of what’s available in tourist activities.

“What we need to do with tourism in the South West is collaborate with each other ... this centre has great potential for collaboration.”