TASAC Minutes 14 October 2015

Minutes of the Tourist Attraction Signposting Assessment Committee Northern Region meeting

Wednesday 14 October 2015 at the Conference Room, Clarence Valley Council 42 Victoria Street, Grafton

Members David Douglas Regional Coordinator TASAC and Drive, Destination NSW Phil Oliver Guidance and Delineation Manager, Roads & Maritime Services (RMS) Maria Zannetides TASAC Secretariat

Also present Sandi Parsons Project Officer, Clarence Valley Council Des Schroder Director Environment, Planning and Community, Clarence Valley Council Ian Shanahan Manager Network & Safety Services, RMS Northern Region Linda Hall Team Leader Northern Zone, NPWS Phil Nicholas Visitor and Tourism Services Officer, NPWS Tom Lane Proprietor, The Farm Byron Bay Belinda Novicky Executive Officer, North Coast Destination Network

Apologies Liz Fairweather Senior Economic Development Officer, Clarence Valley Council Joanne McMurtry Tourism Officer, Byron Shire Council Caroline Klose Manager Corporate Communications and Tourism, Ballina Shire Council

AGENDA ITEMS

1. DELEGATIONS / PRESENTATIONS & REGIONAL SIGNPOSTING ISSUES

1.1 Clarence Valley Council issues

(a) Proposal for tourist drive / ‘way’ for Grafton / Ulmarra

Des Schroder inquired about the impact of the new route of the Pacific Highway, which is planned to open in 2020, on Tourist Drive 22 and other routes and a discussion ensued with the following outcomes:

i. When the new motorway opens in 2020 it will be necessary to extend Tourist Drive 22 from South Grafton in a southerly direction in order for it to join the new highway at the proposed Glenugie interchange.

ii. Consideration will also need to be given to the future status of the current route of the Pacific Highway from South Grafton to Tyndale after the highway upgrade project is completed. The name of the road will need to change and it may be appropriate to select a new name that conveys an appropriate promotional message, such as “Ulmarra Way”, which would be the new gazetted name of the road and would appear on directional signs. It would not be the name of a touring route that would appear on “white on brown” tourist signs.

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iii. Given that the highway upgrade will not be completed for another five years, the above issues cannot be finalised until closer to the time after decisions have been made about the future status of the current highway route.

(b) Signage for Grafton at the new Glenugie exit

Des inquired about directional signs for Grafton at the proposed Glenugie exit, which is part of the highway upgrade project mentioned above. Phil and Ian indicated that RMS will look at options for “white on green” guide signs at the location, including a “loop” sign design.

(c) The use of logos on tourist drive signs

In response to a query from Sandi about the possibility of using the new Clarence Valley Tourism logo on tourist drive signs, the members advised that logos may not be used on “white on brown” tourist signs. The only exception relates to approved touring routes like Grand Pacific Drive, where motorists follow tourist signs with a symbol that is unique to the route instead of signs with a route name on them.

However, logos may be used on local government “Welcome” signs located in the reserve of State roads (highways but not motorways). “Welcome” signs are used to welcome visitors to individual Council areas and they are generally located on highways near LGA boundaries. They may be installed following a consultation process with RMS and the relevant Council without the need for an application to TASAC.

There is considerable flexibility in the design of “Welcome” signs (i.e. they are different in appearance to “white on brown” tourist signs), so long as they do not attempt to guide traffic or imitate any other sign type, they are safely positioned in the road reserve and they include the name of the LGA.

1.2 National Parks and Wildlife issues

Linda and Phil updated those present about the following current signage matters affecting national parks in the northern region:

 Signs on the Bruxner Highway for Richmond Range National park have faded and become dilapidated. The park has several entries and multiple signs.

 Current signposting for Barrington Tops National Park causes some confusion amongst visitors and may need to be reviewed.

Linda also mentioned that NPWS recently launched a new generation website with improved information about park facilities and better images and maps.

The members provided the following advice:

i. Eligibility for tourist signposting remains current for five years. Richmond Range and Barrington Tops National Parks have not been considered by TASAC for more than five years so any prior eligibility for tourist signage has lapsed. Lodgement of applications for each park would be the first step towards improving tourist signage for them.

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ii. Any officer of NPWS is welcome to contact the TASAC Secretariat to discuss signposting issues. However, officers will be referred to the relevant zone team leader if they wish to proceed with the preparation and submission of signposting applications to TASAC. Maria will advise zone team leaders of any contact from other NPWS officers.

iii. Signposting applications to TASAC will only be accepted if they are referred by the relevant zone team leader, though they may be prepared by any NPWS officer. The zone team leader can sign page 5 of the application form to demonstrate his or her support for the application. Alternatively, page 5 of the application form may be signed by another NPWS officer and referred to TASAC with a covering letter (for applications lodged by post) or a covering email (for applications lodged electronically) from the zone team leader.

iv. Any applications received without the written support of the relevant zone team leader will be returned to the leader for consideration.

v. Zone team leaders will be notified in writing (usually electronically) about TASAC decisions on signage applications in their area. Other NPWS officers who have had a role in an application may also receive a copy of the notification letter.

vi. Zone team leaders receive monthly emails from Maria with TASAC agendas and minutes and they are welcome to pass the business papers on to other NPWS officers. vii. Zone team leaders are encouraged to attend any TASAC meetings held in locations convenient to them and other staff from their zones are welcome to accompany them. viii. Due to the significance of the national parks estate to tourism in NSW and the high numbers of visitors to parks, Phil indicated that RMS is able to exercise some flexibility in locating signage for national parks and signage may be able to be located more remotely than is generally allowable for other application categories. However, signage locations must reflect designated travel paths and decisions about sign design and location are always at the discretion of RMS. The presence of long lengths of unsealed surfaces on roads leading to national parks may limit the ability to provide tourist signposting.

ix. The more detailed information about facilities and better maps available on the new NPWS website will assist the agency in preparing applications to TASAC and will also assist TASAC in considering applications.

1.3 North Coast Destination Network issues

Belinda raised the following matters and the Committee’s advice is shown below each item:

i. The use of images on tourist signs, particularly for national parks, would assist visitors who may find the multiple symbols on such signs to be overwhelming and difficult to interpret.

The NSW Tourist Signposting Manual prohibits the use of images (photos) on tourist signs. Reasons for this prohibition include that it is technically difficult to successfully reproduce images on road signs and images cannot be read by motorists at night. Also, about two thirds of visitors pre-plan their trips so in most cases visitors would be

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expecting to see signs for national parks they wish to visit and their prior knowledge helps them to detect and interpret the signs. Belinda’s comment that images are used on some signs in Queensland was noted but Phil added that the use of images on Victorian road signs had been unsuccessful and has been discontinued.

ii. Signage for Bonville Golf Course

Golf courses along with other sporting facilities are not eligible for tourist signposting. This policy position has existed for many years and no changes are expected into the future. The Bonville locality is served by a highway interchange that is well marked and motorists wishing to travel to the locality are able to follow appropriately designed and located directional signs.

1.4 Members’ report on site inspections

David and Phil made the following observations arising from their site inspections in the Grafton area and environs the day before the meeting.

i. Tourist Drive 22 (South Grafton – Grafton – Lawrence – Maclean – Pacific Hwy at Harwood Bridge) was able to be followed using existing signage, which is in good condition and appropriately located. The drive includes a ferry crossing, is highly scenic, passes through varied landscapes and was therefore considered to be of interest to visitors.

ii. Faded signs were observed in Ballina for “Thursday Plantation” on Tamarind Drive, which is understood to be a Council managed road. TASAC approved an application in the Primary and Secondary Industry category for “Thursday Tea Tree Plantation” in October 2013 but it would appear that the operator has not acted on the approval to allow new signs to be installed.

iii. Observations regarding a visit to The Farm Byron Bay are included in item 2.1 below.

2. NEW TOURIST SIGNPOSTING APPLICATIONS

2.1 The Farm Byron Bay

Tom Lane addressed the meeting about his application for The Farm Byron Bay in the Primary and Secondary Industry category and the following points were noted:

 The Farm is an 80 acre working farm on the gateway to Byron Bay.

 It includes a “protein” business comprising beef cattle, pigs and chickens and a “horticulture” business where 6 - 15 acres are used for crops such as macadamias, pecans, garlic, ginger, beetroot, lettuces, broccoli, kale, herbs and flowers.

 A 1.5 km walking trail with a map and eight interpretive panels encourages visitors to learn where food comes from.

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 The Farm has received some 250,000 visitors since it opened in March 2015. It is estimated that a third to a quarter of visitors stay to eat at the property’s dining venues with the remainder choosing to experience the walking trail through the farm, which is open daily from 7 am to 4 pm.

 Guided walking tours of the farm are typically conducted at 10 am and 2 pm daily.

 There are plans to establish a bird sanctuary at the location in the next 12 months.

David and Phil visited the farm the day before the meeting and made the following observations:

i. No guided tour was available at 10 am on the day of the visit and, following a question, a staff member advised that guided tours were only available on weekends. In response Tom indicated that tours are only run when there is a demand for them. Nevertheless, consistent and accurate information about the times of daily guided tours should be provided on all promotional material including brochures, websites and signage within the property, preferably at the entry gate, at a location where the tours commence and in the dining and retail venues, so that visitors know how frequently they are available and are encouraged to take them.

ii. Bees were not obvious in the vicinity of the “Australian Native Bee” information panel and while information panels relating to chickens and cows were observed, the cows were a long way from the panels.

iii. Improvements to the quality and quantity of information panels along the farm walking trail are necessary to demonstrate that an appropriate tourism experience is offered to casual visitors throughout the opening hours. Eight information panels are not sufficient for a 1.5 km trail. The existing panels are relatively small and low to the ground. The text on the panels needs to be improved and expanded to increase its educational value, e.g. by providing more details about the various farm elements and about how the paddock to plate principle is implemented at the site. Improvements to the information for self-guided visitors is particularly important given that guided tours do not appear to be available on all days.

iv. Consideration should be given to installing a large information panel at the start of the trail to better introduce visitors to the experiences it offers. An introductory panel such as this should include a map to assist visitor orientation, especially for people without a brochure, and state the length of the trail. The length of the trail should also be highlighted in the brochure. Additional signs could be erected to help with wayfinding along the trail as it is not clear that the trail follows a loop and returns to the original starting point.

v. Consideration should be given to better promotion of the farm trail experience at the site, e.g. by referring to how produce from the farm is used on the menus at the dining venues and on product information at the retail venues.

vi. Better business identification signage should be installed at the entry to the property. This should take the form of a permanent, fixed sign, which refers to the opening days and the times of opening and closing for the farm, which is the only element at the site that is potentially eligible for tourist signposting (restaurants, shops, workshops and other booked functions or events are not eligible for such signposting). The entry sign

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should also give phone and other contact details, such as website or email addresses, and refer to the availability of guided and self-guided tours, including tour times. vii. It was noted that the Pacific Motorway is the nearest State road to the Farm, which is located on Tourist Drive 30 (Ballina – Lennox Head – Byron Bay – Pacific Highway at Ewingsdale). Access arrangements to the Farm will be affected by the proposed opening of the Tintenbar to Ewingsdale Pacific Highway upgrade project in December 2015.

The following comments were made in relation to the application documentation:

i. The full name of the business and the wording requested for signposting is “The Farm Byron Bay” which might be confusing for visitors because it is located at Ewingsdale, not Byron Bay. In this respect, RMS will need to consider what text might be appropriate to include on any future tourist signposting for the destination.

ii. The listing for The Farm in visitnsw is in the restaurant category and while there is a reference to the availability of farm related tourism experiences at the site, this information is towards the bottom of the listing and less prominent. The website link given on this page is to www.bestrestaurants.com.au and not the Farm’s own website.

iii. Self-guided visitors do not have the opportunity to sample produce, whereas this is available to guided visitors. Consideration should be given to establishing a tasting area where all visitors can sample produce grown at the farm.

In conclusion the Committee indicated that, at present, the Farm is not where it should be to meet the requirements for tourist signposting. However, the concept was sound and it was expected that the issues outlined above could be satisfactorily addressed with further development of the tourism experience at the site and improvements to the supporting interpretive information.

Decision: For the reasons noted above, The Farm Byron Bay has not demonstrated that it is currently eligible for tourist signposting in the Primary and Secondary Industry category.

Action: (a) Secretariat to advise the applicant as above and inform the tourism officer at Byron Shire Council. (b) RMS Northern Region to investigate temporary signage options for the Farm.

2.2 Pro Hart Gallery, Broken Hill

The application was lodged at TASAC’s request to enable consideration to be given to the replacement of existing unauthorised and non-standard signage on the Barrier Highway and Kaolin Street, which also includes signs for two other Council attractions (Living Desert and Sculptures and White Rocks Reserve).

The gallery is open from Monday to Saturday from 9 am to 5 pm and from 10 am to 5 pm on Sunday, with reduced hours from 1 December to 1 March of 10 am to 4 pm daily. The summer hours (six hours daily) and hours during the remainder of the year (eight hours Monday to Saturday and seven hours on Sunday) satisfy the requirements of the Tourist Signposting

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Manual. It is understood that entry signs are changed at the beginning of December and March so that accurate information about opening hours is always available.

The application indicates that only Pro Hart’s work is exhibited in the gallery, which has three mezzanine levels. Some 60 of Hart’s paintings are displayed and these are rotated annually to maintain interest. Hart painted landscapes, still lifes, narrative scenes and portraits in a variety of styles and media. Visitors are able to look through large glass panels into Hart’s studio and also exhibited are Hart’s pipe organ; piano; four cars with exteriors painted by the artist displayed in a courtyard near the gallery’s entry; and 20 of his sculptures can be seen in a park across the road from the gallery.

A six-page information sheet about the artist and his life with 20 photos and descriptive text is offered to visitors and the gallery also screens an 83 minute documentary about the artist’s life and work titled “Pro Hart the Tribute”. It presents biographical and art related information in a number of parts including childhood, family life, relationship to Broken Hill, Hart’s mining career, religion and approach to artwork. The film has good production values and an informative commentary.

The following issues were noted:

i. The opening hours / days are not stated on the gallery’s promotional brochure. The applicant has advised that the hours will be added when the brochure is reprinted in January 2016.

ii. Not all artworks are labelled with their names and none of the labels have information about their medium. However, it is standard practice that art works displayed in galleries have labels that give:

o The artist’s name and years of birth and death o The title of the work o The date of the work (generally the year in which it was completed) or date range o The medium of the artwork o The dimensions of the artwork o Provenance or collection o Description of the artwork.

The gallery’s management is in the process of labelling artworks but the timeframe to complete this is not known. Museums and Galleries of NSW (MGNSW) has a fact sheet about exhibition labelling that will be provided to the applicant.

A site inspection report has been prepared by Alex Price, Product Development Officer, Broken Hill City Council, which confirms information provided in the application.

Decision: Pro Hart Gallery is potentially eligible for tourist signposting in the Galleries category, subject to the preparation of a brochure that gives its opening hours and days; and the submission of evidence to show that all artwork displayed in the gallery and the associated sculpture park has appropriate labels and referral of the application and additional information to MGNSW for advice. If additional information is not received from the applicant within six months, a new application will be required.

Action: Secretariat to advise the applicant as above and refer the application to MGNSW when the required additional information has been received.

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3. CONFIRMATION OF MINUTES OF 16 SEPTEMBER 2015

The minutes of TASAC’s meeting of Wednesday 16 September 2015 in the Southern Region at Narooma were confirmed. The Committee members and Secretariat advised that they had completed all the actions attributed to them from the meeting relating to applications.

4. MATTERS ARISING FROM PREVIOUS MEETINGS

4.1 TreeTops Adventure Park, Abbotsbury

Following TASAC’s consideration of an application for TreeTops at Abbotsbury in February 2015, the operator was asked to amend the business’s brochure to remove text advising that visitors are required to pre-book. The applicant recently provided a revised brochure for the facility which indicates that bookings are recommended but does not refer to bookings being required. A similar statement appears on the business’s website.

Phil visited the site in April and prepared a site inspection report, which confirmed information provided by the applicant.

Decision: TreeTops at Abbotsbury is eligible for tourist signposting in the Theme Parks category. The name on signposts will be TreeTops Adventure Park to best reflect the nature of the tourism experience offered.

Action: Secretariat to advise the applicant as above.

4.2 Opal Centre, Coffs Harbour

Ian advised that the Opal Centre at Coffs Harbour has more tourist signs than allowable under the Tourist Signposting Manual. At TASAC’s request the Opal Centre submitted an application in 2012 so that its eligibility for tourist signposting could be reviewed. However, assessment of the application was not completed because the applicant did not respond to a request for additional information (i.e. evidence to demonstrate that a notice is prominently displayed in the centre stating “Opal Polishing Demonstrations Available on Request” and that a sign with the days and hours of operation has been installed at the entry on the property boundary).

Action: (a) Ian to advise Maria of the number and location of signs for the Opal Centre. (b) Secretariat to advise the applicant that the additional information previously requested must be provided within six weeks if tourist signposting is to be retained and to allow the existing signage to be reviewed and rationalised as appropriate.

4.3 Historic Wingham

Greater Taree Council has not submitted an application for tourist signposting for Wingham in the Historic Towns and Villages category by 18 September 2015 as requested. In a follow up inquiry later in September Maria learned that illness of the relevant staff member had delayed preparation of the application. The application is now four weeks overdue.

Action: Secretariat to write to Council advising that an application must be received within two weeks if it wishes to retain the Historic Wingham signs.

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4.4 Signage for Upper Hunter Wineries

Phil will follow up his inquiries of RMS Hunter Region regarding the history of non-standard signage for “Upper Hunter Wineries” and “Winery Information” on the Golden Highway near Denman.

4.5 West Wyalong Visitor radio signage

Maria informed the meeting that Western Visitor Radio has been asked to submit an application in connection with the West Wyalong Visitor Radio service by 19 November 2015. The service was not operating when TASAC visited the area last July.

4.6 Coolah Tops National Park

Patricia Wilkinson of NPWS has inquired about installation of tourist signs for Coolah Tops National Park, which TASAC found to be eligible for such signs in June 2015. This matter has been held over pending Phil’s review of the existing signs.

Phil indicated that he is now satisfied that the location of the existing signs, some of which are quite remote from the park, are appropriate because they reflect designated travel paths to the park.

Action: Maria to advise Patricia as above.

5. INQUIRIES RECEIVED SINCE LAST MEETING

The following inquiries received in the period since the last meeting were noted:

5.1 Historic Morpeth 5.2 Cowra War Museum 5.3 Historic Wingham 5.4 Block ‘n Tackle Brewery, Kincumber 5.5 Gibraltar Range National Park 5.6 Holbrook Motor Village Caravan Park 5.7 Wallis Creek Watergarden, Mulbring near Cessnock 5.8 Lithgow accommodation operation

6. POLICY ISSUES

6.1 Northern Region Tourist Drives

The position with respect to numbered tourist drives in the Northern Region is outlined in Attachment 2 and the following matters were noted:

i. Signage on local roads has been upgraded and promotional information is in place with respect to tourist drives in nine Council areas: Coffs Harbour, Clarence Valley, Lismore, Tweed, Armidale Dumaresq, Tamworth, Walcha, Guyra, and Liverpool Plains.

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ii. Recent updates were received about progress with signage upgrades and / or promotional material from Byron, Tenterfield, Ballina, Narrabri (for a drive partly in Western Region and partly in Northern Region) and Bellingen.

Byron and Ballina are examples of Councils where signage on local roads has been upgraded and appropriate promotional material is in place but where current work to improve the Pacific Highway, such as the Tintenbar to Ewingsdale project, will alter the route and end points of some tourist drives. Ian advised that the Tintenbar to Ewingsdale project is on track to be completed during December 2015 and arrangements are in place for signage to be installed on the new highway for relevant tourist drives.

iii. No update was received from either Great Lakes or Greater Taree about Tourist Drive 6 (or 2) despite an understanding with Greater Taree (made at the April TASAC meeting) that it would liaise with Great Lakes and provide a co-ordinated response on the status of signage and promotional material for Tourist Drive 6 by 25 September 2015.

iv. Responses have not been received from Gwydir and Inverell Councils to a request for information last February regarding details of signage upgrades for Tourist Drive 4 (Warialda to Inverell).

Action: (a) Secretariat to contact Councils to obtain further progress reports in time for consideration at the 20 April 2016 meeting. (b) Secretariat to write to Great Lakes, Greater Taree, Gwydir and Inverell Councils advising that signage will be removed from State roads for nominated tourist drives unless satisfactory advice on progress is received within six weeks of the date of the letter.

Note: On 20 October an update was received from Sharon Bultitude, Tourism and Marketing Coordinator at Great Lakes Tourism to the effect that Great Lakes Council has audited and upgraded / replaced signs on Tourist Drives 2 and 6 in its LGA. Therefore, the letters to Great Lakes and Greater Taree foreshadowed at (b) above will not now be sent.

7. OTHER BUSINESS

7.1 Shoalhaven Tourist Drives

Coralie Bell, Tourism Manager at Shoalhaven Council has advised that Council does not intend to retain any of its tourist drives because it is not in a position to regularly audit the signs along them or finance signage upkeep. Currently there are three drives in Shoalhaven LGA as follows:

 Tourist Drive 4 (Falls Creek-Huskisson-St George’s Basin-Princes Hwy)

 Tourist Drive 7 (Berry to North Nowra via Kangaroo Valley Rd and Cambewarra Rd)

 Tourist Drive 8 (Albion Park to North Nowra via Macquarie Pass and Kangaroo Valley) shared with Wingecarribee and Shellharbour LGAs.

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Former Tourist Drive 5 (Berry to North Nowra via Coolangatta) was removed from the list of TASAC approved numbered tourist drives at Shoalhaven Council’s request in 2012.

As Tourist Drive 8 is shared between three Councils, and given that Shellharbour has audited and improved signs on its portion of the drive and promotes it via the Visit Shellharbour website, Shellharbour and Wingecarribee will be consulted about the drive’s future.

Decision: Tourist Drives 4 and 7, which are wholly within Shoalhaven LGA, will be removed from the list of approved numbered tourist drives in NSW as they are no longer supported by the Council. The views of Shellharbour and Wingecarribee Council will be sought about the future of Tourist Drive 8.

Action: (a) Secretariat to inform Shoalhaven Council of the above decision and request it to remove existing signage for TDs 4 and 7 on local roads and withdraw any references to them on promotional material as quickly as possible. (b) Secretariat to write to Shoalhaven, Wingecarribee and Shellharbour Councils about the future of Tourist Drive 8. (c) RMS Southern Region to remove all signs for Tourist Drives 4 and 7 from State roads in Shoalhaven LGA as quickly as possible and inform Maria when this has been done. (d) RMS Southern Region to check that all signs have been removed from State roads for former Tourist Drive 5 and inform Maria of the outcome.

7.2 TASAC Meeting Schedule

Please refer to Attachment 1 for the schedule of meetings for the next six months. The next Northern Region meeting will be held on 20 April 2016 in Mullumbimby (Byron Bay Shire).

8. NEXT MEETING

Wednesday 18 November 2015 in Gilgandra (Western Region).

The meeting concluded at 1.10 pm

Attachment 1 – TASAC Meeting Schedule

Region Location Date

2015 Western Gilgandra 18 November 2015 N /A Sydney 16 December 2015 2016 N / A Parramatta 20 January 2016 Western Cowra 17 February 2016 Southern Bega Thursday 17 March 2016 Northern Mullumbimby 20 April 2016

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