‘sno people @ the snow
The time has come to stop promoting this failing industry
Main Street @ Falls Creek today is not exactly 'Bourke Street'.
I’m not trying to be negative here. The ski resorts are always talking up the crowds they attract but go have a look at all 38 Falls Creek snow cams and see for yourself that, despite the excellent coverage (about 45cm of natural snow) and the great conditions … there are not a lot of people out on the slopes today. Maybe they’re all inside at the bars but, somehow, I think not. Over at Mt Hotham the crowds are even thinner, as this photo and all their other snow cams depict:
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Snake Gully @ Mt Hotham today is almost 'lonely street'.
There is a massive misconception that snow skiing is very popular and brings huge benefits to the north-east region and the town of Bright. But the reality is that this is an industry that has gone from static to decline. Why? Well, remoteness and pricing has a lot to do with it. To start with the entry fee (ie just to be allowed to enter the area) is now $40 per car .. per day! Then the lift fees are apparently over $100 per person per day. Add the costs of accommodation, ski hire and food at the, er, not-so-great selection of eateries up there and what have you got? A bloody expensive weekend.
And this is at the off-peak rates (peak rates being July & August).
So what am I getting at? I’m getting at the point that the real tourist industry up here revolves around the non-winter periods .. and that the real tourist destinations are places like Bright, Beechworth and, to a lesser extent but important nonetheless, the King Valley & the Rutherglen areas. I’m getting at the fact that our tourism bodies such as NEVT (a division of Tourism Victoria), the Alpine council’s tourism department & tourism board (if it still exists) and the Bright Chamber of Commerce should be getting together to promote and improve these key destinations.
Because they are the ones that count. They are the ones that have real growth potential, are affordable and – most importantly - retain the dollars spent within the region and provide year-round employment, as opposed to the ski resorts that are usually owned by interests located anywhere but this area, thereby sucking the major benefits and profits (if they make any!) away from the local economy.
This should have been recognised many years ago but, for some reason (vested interests I’d suggest) it’s been an uphill battle to make the powers that be understand this essential truth.
It’s not too late to start (it never is) and I for one will not stop beating the drum and kicking up all hell until those who hold the purse strings (like the Alpine council who have sucked about $8 million in levies out of our local businesses to do bugger all to promote & improve the town of Bright for instance) start to recognise that they need to focus on our real tourist destinations and forget about promoting the corporate interests up there in the cold, desolate and lonely mountain tops.
Lecture over.
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Promoting 'Beautiful Bright'.
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It all comes down to the money in the wallet Ray. Last year I took my 2 boys up to Buffalo when they had their big dump of snow and there must have been hundreds of people up there, all families by the look. Amazing how popular it is when you don’t have to pay through the nose for it.
Hi Nicholas,
You are spot on. Mt Hotham in particular has gone over-the-top with their property developments and now it’s all about trying to get enough return on their investments. Consequently they’ve priced most people and especially families out of the equation and now rely almost entirely on the bus groups of young people and even school groups.
No doubt: all year tourism is the future of High Country Victoria!
Perhaps we could work together to convince the local governments in the region to invest in the expansion of the scope of touristic attractions.
Interested in our campaigne? Please visit our blog: ecoharmonyheritageculture.wordpress.com
Thanks martabalan for your comment & suggestion. I read your blog entry.
I think that the idea of developing health, community, well-being & cultural events might work in the Mansfield area – as you suggest – due to its much closer proximity to Melbourne. But up here I don’t see year-round tourism in the mountain areas taking off, no matter what is tried. To start with Falls Creek & Mt Hotham are about 400 kms from Melbourne, so it takes a very strong attractor (like skiing) to pull people up there. And, as I’m pointing out, they’re not exactly setting the world on fire with that.
They have tried, and are still trying, to develop year-round tourism though, especially @ Falls Creek with the completion of the Bogong High Plains Rd as a touring link and with sports training facilities. But it has limited appeal. The hard fact is that the climate and remoteness up there – and especially at Hotham which is very exposed to the elements – is just not conducive for attracting tourists in any substantial numbers in the non-winter periods.
Up here, those areas are just somewhere for tourists staying in Bright etc to take a day trip to in the warmer months to enjoy the views, the scenery and things like hiking. They’re a secondary attraction whereas the main attractions like Bright itself, its shops, local scenery, bushwalking, paragliding, wineries, rivers etc are the primary attractions. Then there’s the close proximity of historic towns like Beechworth & Yackandandah. Cycling along the (flat) rail trail from Wangaratta to Bright & beyond is also a super attraction that is growing exponentially.
I think the councils (especially Alpine) should be lobbying governments for funds to improve the basic infrastructures in and around towns like Bright. In particular I believe a major upgrade of the Bright CBD, its gardens, walking tracks and cycling paths should be priority number one.
Good luck with your campaign though.
Cheers.
You are quite correct Ray, they are a corpse that won’t lie down. Ridiculously overpriced, now beyond the reach of most, sub-standard compared with overseas destinations that generaly charge less for lift passes and overall not much chop at all. It is interesting that this season ( so far anyway ) the spin that usually cascades out of the resorts is somewhat missing. Could it be that they no longer believe their own bullshit?
Certainly the conditions are not identical in these 2 regions. However, a part of our campaign is to develop an Eco village which would than increase eco tourism. One could be developed in your region as well, as there are Victorian sustainability grants for that. Due to growing concerns about climate change, the interests of people will grow in the direction of ecological aspects.
Yes, an eco village is a good idea, only (again) I reckon one up in the remote mountains around here would struggle to remain viable. There’s also the problem of obtaining freehold land which is at a premium within the resort areas and simply unavailable in the surrounding State & National Parks. There are plenty of suitable sites though in the Ovens Valley, especially in the rural zones where many lots are no longer viable farming propositions.