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 Yarriambiack Shire 5 Beulah - Town & Tourism Strategy 6,7,8 Brim Reddas Park Caravan Park Strategy 9,10 Hopetoun - Town & Tourism Strategy 11,12,13 Hopetoun Caravan Park Strategy 14,15 Cronomby Tanks Campground Strategy 16,17 Rupanyup - Town & Tourism Strategy 18,19,20 Minyip Caravan Park Strategy 21,22 Warracknabeal - Town & Tourism Strategy 23,24,25 Warracknabeal Caravan Park Strategy 26,27 Murtoa 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. Regional Strategy Town & Tourism Strategy The Yarriambiack Shire stretches from the Wimmera River just Natural Landscape north of the Grampians in the south, to the centre of the Mallee Patchewollock in the north. The Yarriambiack Creek is the main natural feature Yarriambiack Shire has an area of 7,158km2 and stretches from traversing the Shire. The area is also linked by road and rail the Wimmera River just north of the Grampians in the south, to the systems that run in a north-south direction. The area has an centre of Mallee country in the north. Much of the area has been Serviced Caravan Park almost ideal climate with a short winter and delightful autumn cleared for farming with the Shire being known as the heartland of and spring. Summer temperatures can be hot, particularly in Bush / Free Camp grain production and handling in the Wimmera/Mallee. The dry-land Sea Lake the north. Sunraysia Hwy farming area produces one quarter of Victoria’s total production of Cabins wheat and barley and is noted for the production of lambs and As of 2019, Yarriambiack Shire had a population of 6,639. wool. Legume and oilseed crops are very important and alternative Proposed Cabins Warracknabeal is the main service centre of the area, with a livestock enterprises are also well established. Much of this Proposed Route catchment pattern that extends from the northern Wimmera region receives additional supplies of water via the Wimmera Yarriambiack to the Southern Mallee. It is complemented by Hopetoun in Mallee Pipeline. Vegetation communities mostly consist of Green Lake Caravan Park Existing Silo Art Trail the north and Minyip, Murtoa and Rupanyup in the south, Eucalyptus leucoxylon occurs on the lighter transitional loamy soils, Shire Henty Hwy Proposed Silo Art Trail with another eleven small towns spread throughout the whereas E. largi lorens occurs on the heavier-textured soils at the municipality. boundary between the Wimmera and Mallee Regions. E. Hopetoun leucoxylon occurs in association with E. largi lorens, E. Woomelang Cronomby Tanks Of the population, almost half the workforce is employed melliodora, E. microcarpa and Allocasuarina luehmannii. in agriculture. Many other residents depend indirectly on Lake Albacutya farming, as they are employed in services used by the farming population. Buloke Calder Hwy The Shire is situated between the Grampians and Murray Shire Tourist Regions and provides a link between Horsham in Rainbow the south and Mildura in the northern end of that region. It Beulah is located immediately to the east of some of Victoria’s main eco-tourist attractions, including the Big Desert, Wyperfeld National Park, Lake Hindmarsh, Lake Albacutya and the Little Desert. Hindmarsh Wy cheproof Enterprise and Innovation Hwy Henty Shire There are strong opportunities to develop new businesses through Jeparit attracting and supporting new service industries such as aged care and the digital economy. There is also a range of local produce West Wimmera Sunraysia Hwy which is starting to be recognised for food-based tourism including Warracknabeal Charlton restaurants and gourmet foods. This should be encouraged, Calder Hwy supported and promoted. Shire SOUTH AUSTRALIA - VICTORIA BORDER - VICTORIA AUSTRALIA SOUTH Nhill Relationship with Aboriginal Community Serviceton Kaniva Western Hwy Western Hwy Donald Building stronger relationships with the Barengi Gadjin Land Council and local family representatives will strengthen the tourism offering and add further to the settler and agricultural stories of the Alt. Route to Horsham via.Goroke towns and places in the Shire. Dimboola Henty Hwy KEY Serviced Caravan Park Rupanyup Bush/Free Camp Wimmera Hwy Cabins Proposed Cabins Goroke Proposed Routes Wimmera Hwy ExistingLake CharlegrarkSilo Art Trail Proposed Silo Art Trail Lake Ratzcastle 5. Wimmera Hwy Apsley Newlands Lake Alt Route to Melbourne via. Edenhope Edenhope and Harrow. Opportunities across SA border Black Range Coonawarra Harrow State Park Wine Region Grampians National Park Dergholm Regional Strategy Town & Tourism Strategy Town Strategy Centre of the Barley Belt The town of Beulah is at the heart of the Wimmera-Mallee region of north-west Victoria. It is situated on the Henty Highway, 395 kilometres north-west of Melbourne. The Henty Highway runs north-south through Western Victoria servicing numerous regional centres including Hamilton, Horsham, Warracknabeal and Mildura. Traditional Owners for the area are the Wotjobaluk, Jaadwa, Jadawadjali, Wergaia and Jupagik Nations. These Nations are represented by the Barengi Gadjin Land Council Aboriginal Corporation. Beulah town was established on land that was part of Brim station. When the area was opened up for closer settlement many selectors came from the southern Wimmera district, including the McKenzie’s in 1882. The McKenzie land was subdivided in 1890 and the town was officially proclaimed in 1891. Presbyterians