Yarriambiack Shire Buloke Shire Hindmarsh Shire West Wimmera Shire The Wimmera Mallee Town & Tourism strategy acknowledges the Koori Aboriginal language groups as the Traditional Custodians for Yarriambiack, Hindmarsh, Buloke and West Wimmera and surrounding Land and Waters. We pay our respects to Elders past and present and emerging, recognising their continued spiritual relationship and responsibilities for Country. The Wimmera Mallee Town & Tourism strategy. This Strategy also acknowledges and pays respect to Australian Indigenous Peoples who were separated from Clan and Country and also reside in Yarriambiack, Hindmarsh, Buloke and West Wimmera and surrounding communities. May these journeys of healing be acknowledged, respected, supported and become mutual objectives for all Australians. 1. Introduction 3 Integrating Level 1: Regional Strategy 4 West Wimmera Shire 5 Harrow - Town & Tourism Strategy 6,7,8 Johnny Mullagh Memorial Park Strategy 9,10 Edenhope - Town & Tourism Strategy 11,12,13 Edenhope Lakeside Tourist Park Strategy 14,15 Goroke - Town & Tourism Strategy 16,17,18 Goroke Apex Accommodation Park Strategy 19,20 Lake Ratzcastle Caravan Park Strategy 21,22 Kaniva - Town & Tourism Strategy 23,24,25 Kaniva Poolside Caravan Park Strategy 26,27 Serviceton Caravan Park Strategy 28,29 2. Regional Strategy Town & Tourism Strategy Local strategies proposed for locations across the region Town & Tourism Strategy Level 2 of this strategy responds to town and tourism park level opportunities, directions and learnings gathered through site visits and workshops. The Town & Tourism Strategy recommends projects to guide the revitalisation and tourism preparedness of 16 Towns and 24 Caravan Parks across four shires. These projects should be explored, prioritised, implemented and championed by the community, shires and Wimmera Mallee Tourism. Projects at each location are generally ordered according to their priority of implementation, or their necessary chronological order. While some are ‘quick wins’, it is generally encouraged that rigorous concept planning, professional advice and community consultation is seeked out and undertaken prior to undertaking projects. This report suggests indicative budgets (where possible) for each project at the town and tourism level. These are high level opinions of probable cost based on industry prices, and do not allow for community in kind input. As projects are developed, these budgets will be able to be further clarified. Note that Regional Strategy icons are placed onto Town and Caravan Park maps to indicate where regionwide projects might be implemented on the ground. They are also associated with written project recommendations to indicate where they might align with - and inform - projects recommended locally. 3. Regional Strategy Town & Tourism Strategy Regional Strategy Programs, Networks and Projects The programs, networks and projects listed here form a set of recommended approaches across the region. These are relevant at a region wide level as they contribute to reinforcing the regional character of the visitor experience. Whilst being considered and discussed at a regional level, these icons will be used Self Contained Regional throughout Level 2 of the document to indicate where they could be implemented Accommodation Touring Routes Town Centre & Identity Liveability locally. Located on town and tourist park maps, as well as associated with specific recommendations, these icons suggest how regional level strategy can be woven through the Wimmera Mallee. Town Centre Accommodation Where icons are found throughout Level 2, it may be useful to refer back to the Relationship with Town Cente Accommodation Network the project’s regional description to understand how the project might be applied Aboriginal community Meeting Places (Tour Groups) in specfic cases. Materials Vacant Shopfront Electric Car Town Centre Palette Installations Charging Network Traffic Calming Town Housing Open House/ Town Entry Committees Stock Garden Program Signage Camping Tertiary design Universal Access Street Trees Opportunities school collaboration Reliability and Barista availability Training of services Dry Lake Attraction Google Maps Entries Amenities Upgrade Competition Requisite initial projects: These projects should be completed at the outset as they provide information and guidance that will influence the contribution of many other projects to the regionla character of the visitor experience. Quick wins: Projects that are deemed relatively simple to implement - with low design, planning and consultation required in their implementation. 4. Patchewollock Serviced Caravan Park Bush / Free Camp Regional Strategy Sea Lake Sunraysia Hwy Cabins Town & Tourism Strategy Proposed Cabins Yarriambiack Proposed Route Green Lake Caravan Park Existing Silo Art Trail Shire Henty Hwy Proposed Silo Art Trail Hopetoun Woomelang Cronomby Tanks West Wimmera encompasses 9,108 square kilometres, Natural Environment including sections of the Little Desert and Big Desert National Parks, as well as over two thousand natural wetlands. The The Shire of West Wimmera local government area is located in the natural diversity of flora and fauna of the municipality is valued central to south western part of Victoria adjacent the South Australian Buloke Calder Hwy by locals and visitors alike. border. It covers an area of 9,108km2. The Shires landscape runs north south, correspondingly from the semi-arid sand dunes of Shire The main economic driver of the municipality is agriculture, the Big Desert country to the cleared pastureland West Rainbow including broadacre grain, seed, sheep and wool production, Wimmera wetland and large freshwater lake country. The Beulah as well as olive and timber. Agricultural businesses range from Wimmera is a sub-bioregion located within the Murray Darling international corporate investments, remotely managed farms, Depression bioregion. The northern area is dominated by large family enterprises, traditional mixed farms and hobby woodland and mallee vegetation communities including Shallow farms. Sands Woodland, Sandstone Ridge Shrubland, Heathy Mallee and Lowan Sands Mallee. Widespread Mallee species include The population of 3,841 enjoy a range of services, delivered Eucalyptus dumosa (White mallee), E. socialis Red mallee), E. Whycheproof through the main towns of Edenhope, Kaniva, Goroke gracilis (Yorrell), E. oleosa(Glossy-leaved red mallee), E. Hindmarsh and Harrow. Smaller communities provide a focus for the incrassata (Ridge-fruited mallee) and E. diversifolia (Soap Hwy Henty agricultural community. The amenity of these communities is Shire mallee). Co-dominants can include other Eucalyptus spp. Jeparit highly valued by residents, reflecting the natural environment with a tree form and species of Callitris, Melaleuca, Acacia, and its proud agricultural heritage. Allocasuarina and Hakea. In the south west most of this region has been cleared for agriculture. Original vegetation of the South Sunraysia Hwy The municipality is transected by two national highways West Wimmera Warracknabeal East Wimmera consisted mostly of a savannah woodland with Wimmera River Charlton (Western and Wimmera Highways respectively), is well placed Eucalyptus macrocarpa, E. largiflorens, E. leucoxylon, E. Shire Discovery Trail Calder Hwy between the cities of Melbourne and Adelaide and provides camaldulensis and Allocasuarina luehmannii. BORDER - VICTORIA AUSTRALIA SOUTH an introduction to western Victoria heading east from South Nhill Australia. The towns in West Wimmera connect closely to It is suggested that in natural areas, vehicular and pedestrian Serviceton Kaniva Western Hwy larger service centres across the South Australian border as access is rationalised so as to preserve the location’s natural Western Hwy Donald well as to Horsham. character. Recommendations made for Lake Ratzcastle indicate strategies for preserving and valuing local flora and fauna Masterplanning communites that can be used at sites across the region. Alt. Route to Horsham via.Goroke Generally, revegation of local species is recommended in areas Dimboola It was noted that West Wimmera Shire had opportunity to further where bushland has become degraded - this will maintain local develop masterplanning for towns, caravan parks and future character as well as providing ecological benefits for the region. projects. As such, key projects listed in each town and caravan park Henty Hwy refer to the master planning process that the shire and community would need to undertake with a relevant consultant to develop Silo Art Trail Rupanyup clear direction for beneficial community led projects. Without these processes, there is a risk that spatial development in the region The suggestions for West Wimmera take into account the Wimmera Hwy may be misdirected and inconsistent. planned extension of the Silo Art trail through the shire and subsequent incrased visitation. This is already in progress Connection to South Australia with Kaniva, Serviceton and Goroke Silo Art already under development. Goroke There is potential for Kaniva, Goroke, Edenhope and Harrow to Wimmera Hwy build upon their proximity to the South Australian border. Naracoorte Lake Charlegrark and the Coonawarra wine region offer convenient day trips from Lake Ratzcastle the shire and provide a point of difference for the West Wimmera regional strategy. Touring Routes Wimmera Hwy Apsley KEY West Wimmera Shire could benefit from promoting alternate routes Newlands Lake for the