Potato tours & ‘macabre’ tours lead bushfire regions’ tourism recovery

Victoria’s Gippsland and Grampians regions are popular tourism destinations and the bushfire recovery promotional period is well underway to encourage visitors to visit their favourite places as MUCH is intact and it is more ‘sensitive’ to visit rather than stay away!

WHAT ARE THESE COMMUNITIES DOING TO SAY “WE’RE OPEN FOR BUSINESS”?
“When was the last time you visited the region? Go and visit your own back yard – NOW!” was a weeklong call on radio and TV throughout Gippsland but a major media breakthrough has come from one passionate woman, Val Murphy, who runs ‘From the paddock to the plate’ potato tours – a day trip out of Melbourne.

Val and an ABC Gippsland TV journalist were out fighting the fires together. They got talking, as you do, and a fascination with Val’s passion for promoting Gippsland AND her potato tours led to:

1)an interview with Val on ABC-TV Gippsland;
2)a follow-up interview on the ABC’s statewide regional Drive Show;
3)live interviews with Launceston and Darwin ABC;
4)the Sydney-based Today Show are coming down to do the tour and don’t want Val to talk to any other TV channels!

THE TOUR
-a day’s outing through scenic Gippsland countryside with a potato theme;
-a potato lunch at the Trafalgar pub;
-a tour round the Murphy’s Thorpdale potato farm;
-a cooking demonstration of sweets such as potato ice cream;
-a visit to Val’s large country garden;
-stories and jokes of life on the land as the coach tours the country roads.

West Gippsland is also doing a major promo for their Labour Day weekend Harvest Festival ‘Palate of Passions’ a celebration of all the good things in life -food, wine, gardens, art & music, March 10~13, Warragul.
FOR MORE INFO EMAIL info@mountbawbaw.com.au

IN THE GRAMPIANS
1)Julian Carr, enterprising co-president of the Halls Gap Tourism and Business Association hopes bus tours looking at the macabre aftermath will revive the region’s tourism, which generated $261 million a year before the fires. They plan small bus tours of 10 to 12 people to areas of the Grampians National Park approved by Parks Victoria. It is hoped the tours will send the message that it’s safe to come up to the region. The idea certainly generated some media coverage!

2)The 19th Grampians Jazz Festival (usually attracting 5000 and employing 2000)at Hall’s Gap – the tiny town ringed by fire for days – went ahead February 10-11, helped along with a $5000 State Government grant for radio and TV promotion.

3)A clear statement of what’s open in the way of walks, camping grounds, rock art, picnic areas and that no accommodation was burnt, put out in Tourism Victoria’s monthly media bulletin.

FOR MORE INFO CONTACT: Paula Antonio/Angie Lush 03 5358 5294