The St Arnaud Tourism Action Plan will identify the vision and aspirations for growing tourism in St Arnaud and surrounds over the next five years. The project aims to build a strong and competitive visitor offering in St Arnaud.
The project so far:
The St Arnaud Tourism Action Plan consulting process is now well underway. Site visits to key tourism locations have been undertaken, an online community survey has recently been completed and 1st round stakeholder interviews have been conducted. Additional consultations are to be scheduled as DTM (the consultants) consolidate their initial findings.
During the consultation phase of this project, the project team have sought to understand how the community values tourism and the appetite for investment in tourism development. Initial gaps in tourism services have been identified and community input has been sought to prioritise potential developments.
Background research has been undertaken to identify unique points of difference for the St Arnaud region. The aim is to capitalise on these unique strengths, creating a clear value perception for St Arnaud which not only resonates with the community, but provides a clear representation of the region’s tourism value when visitors are considering travelling through the wider Grampians area.
The St Arnaud region has a rich HERITAGE story to tell, which is valued at a local level and is of significance to Victoria’s Goldrush history. The ability to find information prior to arriving in St Arnaud though is challenging and a focus to sharing these stories online with tourism destination marketers, will allow potential visitors to value St Arnaud’s heritage and plan to stay longer.
When potential visitors have a perception of heritage value for St Arnaud, they will seek reinforcement of that experience on arrival. First impressions at each end of Napier Street will be important to consider in St Arnaud’s tourism future through a focus to heritage preservation which is complemented by quality retail, activated linger zones and public art.
The artistic community in the St Arnaud region is contributing a new, visual vibrancy to St Arnaud’s town centre and there is more to reveal. A focus to ARTISAN culture elevates consumer appreciation of the social fabric of town. It creates a perception that artistic creation in St Arnaud is skilled, contemporary and bold. It is an opportunity to create some intrigue around a town with an intriguing name.
Whilst we are seeking to create a point of difference for the St Arnaud region, we also recognise the visitors will be motivated to come to the Grampians region, motivated by NATURE-BASED experiences. The community places a high importance on the natural environment and particularly in water-based leisure activity. Our aim will be to create linkages in nature experiences that will connect the region to the visitor demands and trends that drive visitation to the Grampians, making St Arnaud a consideration on a Grampians soft-adventure itinerary.
In an agricultural community, we have identified that current AGRITOURISM experiences are limited. However, the profile of visitors to the Grampians have an expectation that they will experience local food and wine production, may have an opportunity to experience a farm-stay to understand the economy of the region and connect with a way of life in rural communities. Creating opportunities for agritourism is an authentic opportunity for visitors to value the region.
The project is now entering the 2nd stage where all learnings from the consultation process and site visits will be consolidated. During this phase, we will develop concepts for tourism development projects, identifying ‘5 Game Changers’ for the St Arnaud region aligning to the strategy areas: HERITAGE, ARTISAN, NATURE-BASED and AGRITOURISM.
The discussion paper for the St Arnaud Tourism Action Plan is due for delivery to the NGSC in mid January 2022 and will be made available for public comment shortly thereafter.
Online Comments Wall
We are now calling on the community's help to test the 'Five Game Changers' for the St Arnaud region.
Note: Zoom out to see the Fifth 'Game Changer' - Teddington Reservior
Visit the online comments wall here to have your say, including:
- If you like the ‘Game Changing’ idea
- How you would like to see ideas developed.
Also available in paper format from Customer Service Desk at St Arnaud Town Hall.
Community Forum
The purpose of the Community Forum is to give an update on the initial round of consultation and to seek further comment on the concepts for tourism development. This is also an opportunity for the community to share their ideas about Brand 'St Arnaud'.
Community Forum from 7pm - 9pm on 15 February 2022
Stewart Hall, St Arnaud Town Hall, St Arnaud
Community members can also log in online via MS Teams (The Forum will be moved online if required due to public health measures). Participants in the Community Forum will need to show proof of full vaccination to the Covid Marshall, wear a mask unless exempt and check in with QR code as per public health directions.
Click here to join the meeting