THE Mount Gambier city flag will fly over the iconic Centenary Tower today and over the weekend (weather permitting) with a new caretaker at the helm.
Centenary Tower was first opened in 1904 but the historic building has been closed to the public in recent years as Mount Gambier City Council struggled to find a new caretaker.
Adelaide born travel agent Ben Deering has recently relocated to Mount Gambier and has been appointed as caretaker for the next six months on a trial basis.
He said he was intrigued by the building for more than a decade when visiting the city regularly with family.
“My wife Tanya is originally from Mount Gambier and while visiting, I wondered why we hadn’t been able to look in the tower,” Mr Deering said.
“Everyone told me that when the flag was flying you could go up there and I said, ‘when is that? Who has a key to the tower?'”
Now that he has the key himself, Mr Deering will use his extensive experience in the tourism industry to rejuvenate the popular tourist spot.
“We have found the flag and weather permitting, we’ll be open three days a week and at least one day on the weekends,” he said.
“We’ll keep the entry fee cheap at $2, provide refreshments and ice creams and we’ll look at implementing a pass type set up for locals who’d like to visit regularly.”
Mr Deering said he sees the historic building with fresh eyes and plans to make the most of the beautiful surrounding view by promoting the area to locals and tourists on social media.
“It comes back into perspective, you get blind to it when you have something this pretty on your doorstep and all it takes is visiting the tower and you think, this is pretty cool,” he said.
“I’ve got a drone, so we’ll look at providing aerial portrait photos of people on the balcony at the tower as souvenirs.
“You used to buy a tea towel, or a pin, but now you get a photograph or a selfie for Instagram and Facebook and tag it to share with others.”
Centenary Tower is located 190 metres above sea level and provides the best views of the city, countryside and volcanic landscape.
“On a clear day, you can see as far as 35km with a 360 degree view,” he said.
“You can see the Blue Lake, all the way down to Port MacDonnell and the view of farm land goes on for miles.
“There’s not much that makes people stop to take something in, but these views do.”
Council staff assisted Mr Deering to prepare for today’s reopening.
“Council staff have done a phenomenal job with the maintenance and getting the tower up to scratch for opening day and I’m very appreciative of their help,” he said.
“It’s a great time, everyone wants Mount Gambier to take it up a notch and we all care about our city and showcasing it at its best.”
Follow @centenarytower on Facebook and Instagram to keep up to date with what’s going on at the tower.
