In my travels I take particular notice of what makes a town tick, what sustains the economy of these towns, and what generates income from outside the shire.
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Guyra is not a destination as such, but is perfectly positioned to capitalise on a relatively high volume of passing traffic. How do you get the passing traffic to stop and spend a few dollars in your town on their way through?
In short – You have to give a little bit to get a big bit back.
The golden rule has become – “The better the facilities; the bigger the return”. The word spreads quicker than a bush fire.
I am pleased to see that Guyra has finally embraced the “Free Camp” culture, albeit with only a token set of amenities.
Most of the modern caravans of today are to a large extent, self-contained for limited periods of time, so they have less need to pay to stay in caravan parks.
Surveys have shown that these “freeloaders” spend an average of about $450 per week per caravan.
Places like Tumbarumba in the Snowies and Texas on the QLD border are now thriving on the back of “Free Camps”. Both are in the middle of nowhere, and on the road to nowhere. It is a phenomenon.
Guyra has a unique situation, that being, the proximity of the free camp to the CBD compared to other towns.
Visitors can stroll up town for their morning coffee or newspaper or groceries or to the bowling club for meals. The area overlooking the lagoon is a huge asset, but why is it limited to about 100 metres?
Don’t you want any more of these “free-loaders” spending their money in your town?
Why not open up more space around where the golf club house used to be and even further south of that spot?
Why not build better facilities in this area than the ones already established?
Why not open up both the adjacent parks, to the north of the current area and provide facilities of a high standard? No one else is “using” these parks.
Surely there are Government grants of some nature related to tourism that could be accessed, and therefore not a burden on the local taxpayer.
Put up a sign in these amenities. Be bold and forthright.
“Welcome to Guyra. We provide these amenities in the hope that you might spend a few dollars in our town. Please enjoy your stay”.
Provide a rack to hold brochures supplied by the local outlets that might benefit.
I write because I care about the future prosperity of Guyra. I wear the badge of being born and bred in Guyra proudly and I am cautiously excited about the certainty that the tomato farm brings, but we have seen it all before with the demise of the abattoirs. So don’t rest on your laurels Guyra, go for it and tap into a niche market that is exploding.
Dave Williamson