INDEPENDENT parliamentarian Troy Bell has called for the development of a master plan for the Mount Gambier Valley Lake precinct to identify key “untapped” commercial tourism opportunities.
The Member for Mount Gambier said the town needed to capitalise on the city’s natural assets and transform the way visitors experience the region through nature-based commercial tourism experiences.
Mr Bell said Mount Gambier was missing out on lucrative tourism dollars as a result of the lack of paid attractions and experiences.
“The problem as I see it is a lot of our tourism attractions are free for anyone who wants to come to Mount Gambier,” he said.
“I really do not understand why we do not have more eateries, coffee shops and adventure experiences in the lakes precinct.
“We could do it a lot better where visitors see our beautiful assets and the experience is enhanced by having a lunch overlooking the Blue Lake or riding a cable car to the top of Centennial Tower and overseeing the entire region.
“I would love the lakes precinct to be the place to go to for weddings, dinners and events, whether it is converting the old pump house into a restaurant or even having a light show.
“Let’s have a can-do attitude, get a master plan drawn up with input from the community and once it is agreed to, put it to the private sector.”
Mr Bell drew attention to Queensland and New Zealand’s burgeoning commercial tourism industries, labeling both locations as benchmarks for successful adventure-based visitor experiences.
“In areas like Queensland, you are not able to spend less than $200 a day at the very least,” he said.
“If you go to Queenstown in New Zealand, you can see a really successful example of what they have done as a community for adventure tourism.
“It employs thousands of people and puts millions of dollars into the economy every year.
“You only need to look at both of these places and realise this kind of tourism is an untapped opportunity for not only our community, but our kids, our jobs and the next generation coming through.”
Last year, Tourism Mount Gambier spokesperson Kent Comley said commercial tourism projects could be a “major game-changer” for the city’s tourism sector.
He called on investors to consider bankrolling a chairlift or zipline above the Blue Lake, saying the town had a major shortfall in the number of commercial tourism experiences.
At last week’s South Australian Tourism Industry Council event held in Mount Gambier, Tourism Minister David Ridgway said he was open to examining the possibility of a zipline across the Blue Lake.
The long floated idea was discussed by tourism industry representatives, with Mr Ridgway backing the bold tourism initiative as encouraging visitors to “stay another day” and boost expenditure in the region.
“My understanding of a zipline is it is not going to touch the water, it is going to go across the top,” he said.
“There are a number of layers to work through it.
“I do not think anybody should be deterred by it, if it is not going to damage the water quality, which I cannot see it would, and not going to damage the environment, it means we get tourists to stay another day.
“We could double our (tourism expenditure) turnover.
“It is a great concept, I do not know what the barriers are, but we should perhaps have a look at it.”
Regional Development Australia Limestone Coast board chair Peter Gandolfi said while unaware of any specific proposal around the precinct, continued growth in tourism investment was welcome.
