Mitchell Tourism and Visitor Economy Plan Baseline Research · 2019. 12. 9. · 4. existing tourism and visitor economy product 28 4.1. introduction 28 4.2. key findings 28 4.3. regional

Urban Enterprise Urban Planning / Land Economics / Tourism Planning / Industry Software

www.urbanenterprise.com.au

•

TOURISM AND VISITOR ECONOMY PLAN – BASELINE RESEARCH FINAL REPORT

OCTOBER 2017 MITCHELL SHIRE

U R B A N E N T E R P R I S E M A R - 1 8

AUTHORS

Mike Ruzzene

Danielle Cousens

Urban Enterprise

Urban Planning, Land Economics, Tourism Planning & Industry Software

389 St Georges Rd, Fitzroy North, VIC 3068

(03) 9482 3888


© Copyright, Urban Enterprise Pty Ltd, 2017

This work is copyright. Apart from any uses permitted under Copyright Act 1963, no part may be reproduced without written permission of Urban Enterprise Pty Ltd.

FILENAME: Mitchell Tourism and Visitor Economy Baseline Research Final Report_16102017

VERSION: 2

DISCLAIMER

Neither Urban Enterprise Pty. Ltd. nor any member or employee of Urban Enterprise Pty. Ltd. takes responsibility in any way whatsoever to any person or organisation (other than that for which this report has been prepared) in respect of the information set out in this report, including any errors or omissions therein. In the course of our preparation of this report, projections have been prepared on the basis of assumptions and methodology which have been described in the report. It is possible that some of the assumptions underlying the projections may change. Nevertheless, the professional judgement of the members and employees of Urban Enterprise Pty. Ltd. have been applied in making these assumptions, such that they constitute an understandable basis for estimates and projections. Beyond this, to the extent that the assumptions do not materialise, the estimates and projections of achievable results may vary.

CONTENTS

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 1 1. INTRODUCTION 5

1.1. PROJECT BACKGROUND 5

1.2. STRATEGIC CONTEXT 5

1.3. LOCATIONAL CONTEXT 7

2. VISITOR PROFILE 8

2.1. INTRODUCTION 8

2.2. KEY FINDINGS 8

2.3. VISITATION 8

2.4. VISITOR DEMOGRAPHICS 12

2.5. VISITOR EXPENDITURE 22

3. VISITOR ECONOMY PROFILE 25

3.1. INTRODUCTION 25

3.2. INDUSTRY PROFILE 25

3.3. COMMUNITY PROFILE 27

4. EXISTING TOURISM AND VISITOR ECONOMY PRODUCT 28


4.2. KEY FINDINGS 28

4.3. REGIONAL CONTEXT 29

4.4. REGIONAL PRODUCT OVERVIEW 31

4.5. TOWNSHIP PROFILES 34

5. TOURISM AND VISITOR SECTOR BUSINESS REVIEW 39



5.3. BUSINESS AUDIT 39

5.4. ONLINE TOURIST AND VISITOR PERCEPTIONS 49

5.5. BUSINESS SURVEY 55

6. TOURISM AND VISITOR SECTOR EVENTS REVIEW 61



6.3. EVENTS AUDIT 61

APPENDICES 66

APPENDIX A TOURISM BUSINESS CATEGORISATION 66

FIGURES

FIGURE 1 LOCATIONAL CONTEXT....................................................................... 7 FIGURE 2 DOMESTIC DAYTRIP VISITATION TREND 2007-2016 BY LGA.............. 9 FIGURE 3 DOMESTIC DAYTRIP VISITATION TREND 2007-2016 BY REGION ........ 9 FIGURE 4 DOMESTIC OVERNIGHT VISITATION TREND 2007-2016 BY LGA ....... 10 FIGURE 5 DOMESTIC OVERNIGHT VISITATION TREND 2007-2016 BY REGION . 10 FIGURE 6 INTERNATIONAL VISITATION TREND 2007-2016 BY LGA ................. 11 FIGURE 7 INTERNATIONAL VISITATION TREND 2007-2016 BY REGION ........... 11 FIGURE 8 DOMESTIC DAYTRIP PURPOSE OF VISIT (%) ................................... 12 FIGURE 9 TOP 5 ORIGIN OF DAYTRIP VISITORS (%) BY TRA REGION .............. 12 FIGURE 10 DOMESTIC DAYTRIP VISITOR AGE PROFILE (%) ............................ 13

FIGURE 11 DAYTRIP METHOD OF TRANSPORT (%) ......................................... 14 FIGURE 12 DAYTRIP SEASONALITY OF VISIT (%) ............................................ 14 FIGURE 13 SEASONALITY OF VISIT BY AGE GROUP (%) .................................. 14 FIGURE 14 OVERNIGHT PURPOSE OF VISIT (%) .............................................. 15 FIGURE 15 OVERNIGHT TRAVEL GROUP (%) ................................................... 16 FIGURE 16 OVERNIGHT AGE PROFILE (%) ....................................................... 16 FIGURE 17 OVERNIGHT ACCOMMODATION TYPE (%) ...................................... 17 FIGURE 18 OVERNIGHT TRANSPORT METHOD (%) .......................................... 18 FIGURE 19 OVERNIGHT SEASONALITY OF VISIT (%) ....................................... 18 FIGURE 20 INTERNATIONAL PURPOSE OF VISIT (%) ....................................... 19 FIGURE 21 INTERNATIONAL TRAVEL GROUP (%) ............................................ 20 FIGURE 22 INTERNATIONAL AGE PROFILE (%) ................................................ 20 FIGURE 23 INTERNATIONAL VISITOR ACCOMMODATION (%) .......................... 21 FIGURE 24 INTERNATIONAL TRANSPORT METHOD (%) .................................. 21 FIGURE 25 OUTPUT ATTRIBUTABLE TO TOURISM BY INDUSTRY (%) .............. 26 FIGURE 26 EMPLOYMENT ATTRIBUTABLE TO TOURISM BY INDUSTRY BY

NUMBER OF JOBS ................................................................................... 26 FIGURE 27 REGIONAL STRATEGIC CONTEXT ................................................... 30 FIGURE 28 KEY REGIONAL PRODUCTS OVERVIEW ........................................... 33 FIGURE 29 NUMBER OF TOURISM RELATED BUSINESSES BY LOCATION ........ 39 FIGURE 30 TOURISM RELATED BUSINESSES BY TYPE AND LOCATION ........... 40 FIGURE 31 NUMBER OF ACCOMMODATION AND FOOD SERVICES BUSINESSES

BY LOCATION .......................................................................................... 41 FIGURE 32 ACCOMMODATION AND FOOD SERVICES ....................................... 41 FIGURE 33 ACCOMMODATION AND FOOD SERVICES BUSINESSES ................. 42 FIGURE 34 NUMBER OF RETAIL TRADE BUSINESSES BY LOCATION ................ 44 FIGURE 35 RETAIL TRADE ................................................................................ 44 FIGURE 36 NUMBER OF RENTAL, HIRING AND REAL ESTATE SERVICES BY

LOCATION ................................................................................................ 45 FIGURE 37 RENTAL, HIRING AND REAL ESTATE SERVICES .............................. 45

FIGURE 38 NUMBER OF ART AND RECREATION SERVICES BY LOCATION ....... 46 FIGURE 39 ARTS AND RECREATION ................................................................. 46 FIGURE 40 TRANSPORT ................................................................................... 47 FIGURE 41 KEY TOWNSHIPS ............................................................................ 48 FIGURE 42 LENGTH OF OPERATION BY NUMBER OF BUSINESSES .................. 55 FIGURE 43 AVERAGE NUMBER OF EMPLOYEES BY EMPLOYEE TYPE .............. 55 FIGURE 44 CUSTOMER GROWTH BY MARKET OVER THE PAST 5 YEARS BY

PROPORTION OF BUSINESSES ................................................................ 56 FIGURE 45 PREDICTED CUSTOMER GROWTH BY MARKET OVER THE NEXT 5

YEARS BY PROPORTION OF BUSINESSES ............................................... 56 FIGURE 46 VISITOR TYPE RANKED BY IMPORTANCE BY NUMBER OF

RESPONSES ............................................................................................ 57 FIGURE 47 OPINION OF EXISTING SUPPLY AND DEMAND OF ACCOMMODATION

TYPE BY PROPORTION OF RESPONDENTS .............................................. 57 FIGURE 48 TOURISM EXPERIENCE DEVELOPMENT RANKED BY POTENTIAL

BENEFIT (1= GREATEST BENEFIT) .......................................................... 58 FIGURE 49 LEVEL OF IMPORTANCE OF INDUSTRY DEVELOPMENT INITIATIVES

BY NUMBER OF RESPONSES (1=MOST IMPORTANT) ............................. 58 FIGURE 50 FORMS OF MARKETING UNDERTAKEN IN THE 2016/17 FINANCIAL

YEAR (%) ................................................................................................. 59 FIGURE 51 USE OF ONLINE PLATFORMS TO MARKET AND PROMOTE (%) ...... 59 FIGURE 52 EVENTS BY LOCATION .................................................................... 61 FIGURE 53 EVENTS BY TYPE ............................................................................ 62 FIGURE 54 EVENTS BY MONTH ........................................................................ 63 FIGURE 55 EVENT LENGTH .............................................................................. 63 FIGURE 56 PROPORTION OF EVENTS BY KNOWN ATTENDANCE NUMBERS .... 64

TABLES

TABLE 1 DOMESTIC VISITOR NIGHTS IN REGIONAL VICTORIA BY PURPOSE OF VISIT- FORECASTS 2014/15 – 2024/25 ..................................................... 6

TABLE 2 INTERNATIONAL VISITOR NIGHTS IN REGIONAL VICTORIA BY PURPOSE OF VISIT FORECASTS 2014/15 – 2024/25 ................................ 6

TABLE 3 MITCHELL AVERAGE ANNUAL VISITATION BY MARKET AND PROPORTION (2007-2016)-REGIONAL COMPARISON ............................... 9

TABLE 4 MITCHELL AVERAGE ANNUAL VISITATION BY MARKET AND PROPORTION (2007-2016)- LGA COMPARISON ........................................ 9

TABLE 5 GROWTH COMPARISON OF INTERNATIONAL VISITORS 2007-2016 ... 11 TABLE 6 DOMESTIC DAYTRIP VISITOR ACTIVITY PARTICIPATION (%) ............. 13 TABLE 7 OVERNIGHT VISITOR ORIGIN (%) ....................................................... 15 TABLE 8 OVERNIGHT VISITOR ACTIVITIES BY PARTICIPATION (%) ................. 17 TABLE 9 INTERNATIONAL VISITOR ORIGIN BY COUNTRY (%) .......................... 19 TABLE 10 INTERNATIONAL VISITOR ACTIVITIES PARTICIPATED IN DURING TRIP

– TOP 10(%) ........................................................................................... 20 TABLE 11 TOTAL ANNUAL AVERAGE EXPENDITURE COMPARED TO SIMILAR

LGAS ....................................................................................................... 22 TABLE 12 PROPORTIONAL TOTAL ANNUAL AVERAGE EXPENDITURE .............. 22 TABLE 13 DOMESTIC DAYTRIP LOCAL SPEND PER TRIP COMPARISON .......... 22 TABLE 14 DOMESTIC DAYTRIP LOCAL EXPENDITURE BY SPEND PER ITEM AND

PROPORTION OF SPEND ......................................................................... 23 TABLE 15 DOMESTIC OVERNIGHT LOCAL SPEND PER TRIP COMPARISON ...... 24 TABLE 16 INTERNATIONAL LOCAL SPEND PER TRIP COMPARISON ................ 24 TABLE 17 KEY STATISTICS BY STATE SUBURB (SSC) ..................................... 27 TABLE 18 COMMERCIAL ACCOMMODATION PROVIDERS ................................. 43 TABLE 19 MITCHELL FOOD SERVICES BUSINESSES INSTAGRAM PRESENCE .. 49 TABLE 20 MITCHELL OTHER BUSINESSES INSTAGRAM PRESENCE ................ 49 TABLE 21 SOCIAL MEDIA PERCEPTION ANALYSIS ........................................... 50

TABLE 22 EVENT FACILITIES ............................................................................ 64

ACRONYMS

VFR – Visiting Friends and Relatives

TRA – Tourism Research Australia

IVS – International Visitor Survey

NVS – National Visitor Survey

LGA – Local Government Area

SA2 – Statistical Area 2

GRV – Goulburn River Valley

GVRT – Goulburn Valley Rail Trail

DMR – Daylesford and the Macedon Ranges

DMP – Destination Management Plan

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U R B A N E N T E R P R I S E 1 M A R - 1 8

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

BACKGROUND

Urban enterprise has prepared this Baseline Research on the visitor economy in Mitchell Shire to inform the development of the forthcoming Tourism and Visitor Economy Plan for the Shire.

VISITOR PROFILE

Mitchell Shire attracts around 550,000 visitors per annum, the majority (76.9%) of which are daytrip visitors, followed by overnight visitors (22.5%) and international visitors (0.6%). Of domestic visitors, only 14% of daytrip visitors and 20% of overnight visitors are visiting for holiday leisure purposes. The key driver for visitation is primarily visiting friends and relatives, with 47% of daytrip, 50% of overnight, and 37% of international visitors visiting the Shire for this purpose. Other top reasons for visiting the Shire included visiting for business, shopping and participating in sport.

The level of holiday leisure visitation, reflects the level of tourism product development in the region. This is supported by the low level of activities undertaken when compared to the regional Victorian average, with Mitchell Shire visitor’s participation rate in most activities significantly lower than regional Victoria.

The visitation statistics highlight the importance of product development as a key focus for Mitchell Shire, should it wish to develop tourism further.

VISITOR ECONOMY PROFILE

The visitor economy in Mitchell Shire generates output of $103 million and supports 609 jobs within the Shire and provides employment for around 6% of those working in Mitchell Shire.

With high growth occurring in the southern part of Mitchell Shire, the visitor economy will also grow as most visitors to Mitchell Shire are visiting to see friends and

relatives. There is opportunity to leverage greater yield and benefit from the VFR market through creating greater awareness within the resident population around the things to see and do across the Shire.

TOURISM AND VISITOR ECONOMY PRODUCT

Mitchell Shire is positioned between a number of areas that have well developed tourism product, including the Macedon Ranges to the west, Bendigo and Heathcote to the north west and Strathbogie and Murrindindi to the north and east.

One of the greatest opportunities for the north of the Shire is the potential to leverage off the development of Nagambie as a tourist destination. Seymour, in particular is well positioned to leverage from Nagambie’s growth. The growth of Murrindindi to the east also represents an opportunity for the Shire.

The patterns of tourism development in Victoria show that tourism usually develops from areas of high aesthetic natural or heritage value. These often act as a backdrop for product development. In the case of Mitchell Shire, the focus for tourism development needs also to consider this. Key townships such as Kilmore, Seymour and some of the smaller towns (such as Tallarook) have aesthetic heritage appeal, however the attraction of a critical mass of quality tourism operators such as destination cafes, restaurants, microbreweries and craft retail has not occurred to date.

Likewise, the development of contemporary tourism product in areas of high aesthetic value such as the Trawool Valley and along the Goulburn River, or in proximity to Tallarook or the Hume Ranges, has also not occurred. These areas, as well as Tooborac and the surrounding region, Seymour, and Kilmore should be areas of focus, with further effort needing to be made to analyse areas that have aesthetic appeal, and formulate product development plans that consider opportunities for investment in tourism.

2 B A S E L I N E R E S E A R C H – T O U R I S M A N D V I S I T O R E C O N O M Y P L A N

M I T C H E L L S H I R E

At a precinct level, existing product strengths for the region which should be leveraged include:

• Heritage assets; wineries; and local food and produce in the small townships of Tooborac, Pyalong and surrounds;

• Arts and culture; heritage assets; equine; and motorsports in Kilmore, Broadford and surrounds;

• Military and rail heritage; food and beverage; markets and events; cycling; river and environment; wineries and equine in Seymour, Puckapunyal and surrounds;

• Heritage assets; family recreation; and markets and events in Wallan, Beveridge and surrounds; and

• The natural environment in Heathcote Junction, Wandong and surrounds

The development of a tourism product strategy which focuses specifically on product development in the areas above should be considered, rather than a broad-Shire wide strategy for all areas without focus.

TOURISM AND VISITOR SECTOR BUSINESS REVIEW

An audit and analysis of businesses in Mitchell Shire shows that there are around 200 businesses servicing the visitor economy. Many of these are food and beverage businesses which predominantly focus on servicing the residential population but which also appeal to the tourist and visitor markets.

A survey of tourism businesses in Mitchell Shire shows that businesses agreed that there was a lack of tourism product in Mitchell Shire, specifically accommodation, farm gate and local produce businesses.

Overall whilst there are many food and beverage businesses in Mitchell Shire, very few could be considered as destination food and beverage businesses. Successful examples of destination food and beverage businesses within neighbouring regions include Source Dining (formerly Annie Smithers Bistrot) in Kyneton, Brae in Birregurra, Du Fermier in Trentham, Royal Mail in Dunkeld, and the Lake House in Daylesford, many of which have also acted as catalysts in attracting other successful businesses to their respective regions.

TOURISM AND VISITOR SECTOR EVENTS REVIEW

An audit of events in Mitchell Shire, shows that a number of townships regularly host sporting, and family and lifestyle events.

Historically, events in Mitchell Shire have largely been driven by the local community groups, not for profit and sporting clubs.

There are a number of leading venues in Mitchell Shire such as the Broadford State Motorcycle Sports Complex, Kilmore Race Track and Seymour Racecourse as well as various other parkland and sporting facilities including Kings Park (Seymour) and Hadfield Park (Wallan).

Further focus on the development and support for events by Mitchell Shire Council should be considered as an opportunity to grow the visitor economy, particularly where supporting accommodation and infrastructure already exist.


4 B A S E L I N E R E S E A R C H – T O U R I S M A N D V I S I T O R E C O N O M Y P L A N

M I T C H E L L S H I R E

xx


1. INTRODUCTION

1.1. PROJECT BACKGROUND

Mitchell Shire Council commissioned Urban Enterprise to provide Baseline Research to underpin the potential Mitchell Shire Council Tourism and Visitor Economy Plan. This research includes a visitor profile; visitor economy profile; review of existing tourism and visitor economy product in the Shire and its key identified townships; review of the tourism business sector; and an events profile for the Shire.

1.1.1. PROJECT AIMS

The aims of the Baseline Research were to understand:

• The trends, profile and current state of tourism and the visitor economy in Mitchell Shire;

• Visitation and seasonality;

• Mitchell Shire’s tourism and visitor economy product offering;

• Tourism sector operators and businesses in the Shire and their offerings;

• The role and profile of events held in Mitchell Shire with regards to the impact on tourism and visitation; and

• The use and effectiveness of traditional marketing methods and digital platforms by tourism and visitor sector operations in Mitchell Shire.

1.1.2. PROJECT OBJECTIVES

The primary objectives of the Baseline Research were:

• To provide a full understanding of tourism and the visitor economy (T&VE) in Mitchell Shire in terms of the current state of visitation, trends, product provisions and business offerings;

• To provide a basis for a larger stage strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats (SWOT) analysis of the T&VE sector in Mitchell Shire; and

• To help with scoping and identifying the key foci for the subsequent development of strategies and actions within a forthcoming Tourism and Visitor Economy Plan.

1.2. STRATEGIC CONTEXT

To understand the strategic context of Mitchell Shire, Urban Enterprise undertook a review of the following strategies and plans to inform this Baseline Research:

• Mitchell Shire Council Tourism Strategy 2012-2015;

• Mitchell Shire Council Economic Development Strategy 2016-2021 (EDS);

• Mitchell Shire Draft Council Plan 2017-2021;

• Goulburn River Valley Destination Management Plan 2014 (DMP), Investment Prospectus, Background Report, and Action Plan; and

• Seymour, Wallan, Kilmore and Wandong and Heathcote Junction Structure Plans.

ATTRACTING VISITORS TO VICTORIA

The Victorian visitor economy has been growing strongly in comparison to NSW and Queensland since 2010. The Victorian Visitor Economy Strategy 2016 (The Strategy) prepared by the Victorian State Government highlights the key to this success is the diversity of product on offer in Victoria and recognises the need to strengthen this diversity.

The Strategy provides an ambitious goal to grow tourism expenditure across the State by 2024/2025 to $36.5 billion and a strong focus to achieve this by increasing visitor nights and encouraging international guests to explore regional Victoria.

6 B A S E L I N E R E S E A R C H – T O U R I S M A N D V I S I T O R E C O N O M Y P L A N M I T C H E L L S H I R E

The Strategy aims to support this growth through the following areas:

• Facilitating investment in tourism product and services;

• A focus on regional Victoria across all activities;

• Marketing activity that leverages all major visitor segments;

• A wider calendar of events that encourages visitor dispersal across Victoria;

• Visitor experiences tailored to the preferences of visitors from Asia; and

• Investing in key public infrastructure and roads.

VISITOR FORECASTS

Domestic tourism is expected to strengthen based on continued population growth, low Australia dollar and steady economic growth. China is expected to be the largest source of growth in both inbound arrivals and inbound expenditure for Australia in the next decade, with analysis for Victoria indicating that China is estimated to generate 53 per cent of Victoria’s total international expenditure in the year 2024-25 and contribute more than two thirds (70 per cent) of the forecast total international visitor expenditure growth over the next decade.

TABLE 1 DOMESTIC VISITOR NIGHTS IN REGIONAL VICTORIA BY PURPOSE OF VISIT- FORECASTS 2014/15 – 2024/25

Visitor Nights (million) 2014/15 2024/25 % AAG

Holiday 20.6m 28.6m 3.4% p.a

VFR 12.1m 15.2m 2.4% p.a

Business 4.5m 6.4m 3.6% p.a

Other 1.9m 2.4m 2.4% p.a

Total Regional Victoria 39.1m 52.7m* 3.0% p.a

Source: Tourism Research Australia Forecast Visitation to Victoria 2016 Issue (National and State). *Total Regional Victoria Visitation for 2024/25 not equal to visitation by purpose of visit type due to rounding.

TABLE 2 INTERNATIONAL VISITOR NIGHTS IN REGIONAL VICTORIA BY PURPOSE OF VISIT FORECASTS 2014/15 – 2024/25

Visitor Nights (000s) 2014/15 2024/25 % AAG

Holiday 2,456 4,122 5.3% p.a

VFR 2,039 3,870 6.6% p.a

Business 173 159 -0.8%

Other 1,698 2,189 2.6%

Total Regional Victoria 6,366 10,340 5.0%

Source: Tourism Research Australia Forecast Visitation to Victoria 2016 Issue (National and State); figures for business purpose visitors (in italics) are below reliable thresholds and should be interpreted with caution.


1.3. LOCATIONAL CONTEXT

Identified as Victoria's fastest growing regional municipality1, Mitchell Shire’s southern boundary is situated only 30kms north of Melbournes’ CBD (Figure 1) and forms part of the Goulburn River Valley (GRV) Tourism Region, which incorporates the City of Greater Shepparton, Murrindindi Shire and Strathbogie Shire Councils. The GRV spans four of Victoria’s ‘official’ tourism regions, Daylesford and the Macedon Ranges (Mitchell Shire), the Murray Region (Greater Shepparton, and Strathbogie), Yarra Valley and the Dandenong Ranges (Murrindindi); and the High Country (Murrindindi).

FIGURE 1 LOCATIONAL CONTEXT

1 Investing in Mitchell Shire, Mitchell Shire Council, https://www.mitchellshire.vic.gov.au/our-region/taking-care-of-business/investing#Key_industry_sectors


2. VISITOR PROFILE

2.1. INTRODUCTION

This section provides an overview of visitation, visitor characteristics and visitor expenditure in Mitchell Shire as compared to the wider Goulburn River Valley (GRV) Region, regional Victoria, Daylesford and the Macedon Ranges (DMR) tourism region, and the comparable Local Government Areas (LGAs) of Baw Baw and Moorabool, as appropriate.

This assessment draws on data collected by Tourism Research Australia’s National Visitor Survey (NVS) and International Visitor Survey (IVS) to analyse trend and demographic data for both domestic and international visitors to the region.

NOTES ON ANALYSIS

• Demographic and expenditure data has been based on the five-year average for domestic visitation and 10-year average for international visitation due to low sample sizes for Mitchell LGA. Expenditure figures are provided as an approximate only.

• Visitation overview data is based on a 10-year average for domestic and international visitation due to low international visitation sample sizes for Mitchell LGA.

• Expenditure data by item for overnight visitors is only available at a national level, and as such approximate ‘local’ spend has been calculated by applying the percentage of ‘local’ spend at a national level to overall visitation and expenditure data available at the tourism region level.

• ‘Local’ spending is defined as spending on the following items: rental vehicles; petrol; accommodation; groceries for self-catering; alcohol; drinks (not already reported); takeaways and restaurant meals; shopping/ gifts/ souvenirs; entertainment and gambling.

• Percentage figures have been rounded to the nearest whole number and therefore may not equal 100%.

2.2. KEY FINDINGS

Mitchell Shire attracts around 550,000 visitors per annum, the majority (76.9%) of which are domestic daytrip visitors, followed by domestic overnight visitors (22.5%) and international visitors (0.6%). Of these daytrip visitors, only 14% are visiting for holiday leisure purposes. For domestic overnight visitors, only 20% are visiting for holiday leisure purposes. The key driver for visitation is primarily visiting friends and relatives, with 47% of daytrip, 50% of overnight, and 37% of international visitors visiting the Shire for this purpose. Other top reasons for visiting the Shire included visiting for business, shopping and participating in sport.

The level of holiday leisure visitation, reflects the level of tourism product development in the region. This is supported by the low level of activities undertaken when compared to the regional Victorian average, with Mitchell Shire visitor’s participation rate in most activities significantly lower than regional Victoria.

The visitation statistics highlight the importance of product development as a key focus for Mitchell Shire, should it wish to develop tourism further.

2.3. VISITATION

Between 2007-2016 Mitchell Shire attracted an average of 545,515 visitors annually, 77% (419,475) of which were daytrip visitors. Overall this represented 21% of visitation to the GRV region, with the proportion of visitors by market also most similar to the GRV region. Tables 3 and 4 show visitation and proportion by market for Mitchell Shire as compared to the GRV region and regional Victoria, and the comparable LGAs of Baw Baw and Moorabool respectively.


TABLE 3 MITCHELL AVERAGE ANNUAL VISITATION BY MARKET AND PROPORTION (2007-2016)-REGIONAL COMPARISON

MITCHELL % GRV % REGIONAL VIC %

Daytrip 419,475 76.9% 1,918,208 73.1% 24,154,929 67.2%

Overnight 122,966 22.5% 688,181 26.2% 11,436,695 31.8%

International 3,073 0.6% 17,641 0.7% 342,607 1.0%

TOTAL 545,515 100% 2,624,030 100% 35,934,231 100%

Source: TRA CDMOTA IVS & NVS YE Dec 2007-2016 (average).

TABLE 4 MITCHELL AVERAGE ANNUAL VISITATION BY MARKET AND PROPORTION (2007-2016)- LGA COMPARISON

MITCHELL % BAW BAW % MOORABOOL %

Daytrip 419,475 76.9% 598,655 78.1% 289,996 81.6%

Overnight 122,966 22.5% 163,866 21.4% 63,725 17.9%

International 3,073 0.6% 4,353 0.6% 1,797 0.5%

TOTAL 545,515 100% 766,873 100% 355,518 100%

Source: TRA CDMOTA IVS & NVS YE Dec 2007-2016 (average).

2.3.1. DOMESTIC DAYTRIP VISITATION

Over the period 2007-2016 annual domestic daytrip visitation to Mitchell Shire grew from approximately 288,151 visitors in 2007, to 429,364 visitors in 2016. This growth was not constant however, with the Shire experiencing a number of peaks and troughs in visitation unlike both Moorabool and Baw Baw Shire which experienced generally a more consistent growth across the period (Figure 2). Over the same period whilst visitation to the GRV fluctuated, visitation to DMR grew much more steadily (Figure 3), attracting a higher number of visitors than the GRV region in 2016.

FIGURE 2 DOMESTIC DAYTRIP VISITATION TREND 2007-2016 BY LGA

Source: TRA CDMOTA NVS YE Dec 2007-2016

FIGURE 3 DOMESTIC DAYTRIP VISITATION TREND 2007-2016 BY REGION


0

100,000

200,000

300,000

400,000

500,000

600,000

700,000

800,000

900,000

2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016

Mitchell Baw Baw Moorabool

0

500,000

1,000,000

1,500,000

2,000,000

2,500,000

2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016

Goulburn River Valley Daylesford & the Macedon Ranges


2.3.2. DOMESTIC OVERNIGHT VISITATION

Over the period 2007-2016, annual domestic overnight visitation to Mitchell Shire decreased from approximately 163,164 visitors in 2007, to 143,211 domestic daytrip visitors in 2016, with an annual low of 83,274 in 2009. Over the period the Shire experienced a number of peaks and troughs in visitation, which were often opposite to those experienced by both Moorabool and Baw Baw Shire (Figure 4). Both GRV visitation and DMR visitation fluctuated over the period, however visitation to the DMR region was much higher than to the GRV region in 2016 (Figure 5). Overnight visitors to the Shire stayed an average of 2.8 nights, as compared to 2.1, 2.7 and 3 nights for Baw Baw Shire, Moorabool Shire and regional Victoria respectively (2012-2016 average).

FIGURE 4 DOMESTIC OVERNIGHT VISITATION TREND 2007-2016 BY LGA


FIGURE 5 DOMESTIC OVERNIGHT VISITATION TREND 2007-2016 BY REGION


0

50,000

100,000

150,000

200,000

250,000

300,000

2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016


0

100,000

200,000

300,000

400,000

500,000

600,000

700,000

800,000

900,000

1,000,000

2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016

Goulburn River Valley Daylesford & The Macedon Ranges


2.3.3. INTERNATIONAL VISITATION

International visitation to Mitchell Shire rose to 5,724 annual visitors in 2016, the highest number of annual international visitors in the past decade (Figure 6). All other comparison regions (with the exception of Moorabool) also experienced their highest annual visitation in 2016, with GRV in particular experiencing significant growth in 2016 (Figure 7). Over the ten-year period, Mitchell had an average annual growth rate of 2% for international visitors, which was in line with the wider DMR region, but lower than for GRV (4%) and Melbourne (6%) (Table 5). The average length of stay for international visitors to Mitchell Shire was 14.8 nights, which was slightly higher than for regional Victoria (14.1 nights), but lower than both Moorabool Shire (16.5 nights) and Baw Baw Shire (18.7 nights).

FIGURE 6 INTERNATIONAL VISITATION TREND 2007-2016 BY LGA

Source: TRA CDMOTA IVS YE Dec 2007-2016

FIGURE 7 INTERNATIONAL VISITATION TREND 2007-2016 BY REGION

Source: TRA CDMOTA IVS YE Dec 2007-2016

TABLE 5 GROWTH COMPARISON OF INTERNATIONAL VISITORS 2007-2016

MITCHELL MOORABOOL BAW BAW GRV DMR MELBOURNE

2007 - - - - - -

2008 -54% -38% -48% -28% -33% -2%

2009 -45% 51% 154% 4% 18% 5%

2010 86% 5% 7% 2% -5% 6%

2011 38% -4% -18% 6% 10% 7%

2012 -23% 77% -27% 12% -9% 4%

2013 4% -34% 45% 3% -6% 11%

2014 33% 9% -18% -10% 35% 9%

2015 23% -25% 76% 17% -2% 14%

2016 46% 15% -7% 51% 35% 10%

%AAG 2% 0% 5% 4% 2% 6%

4,646

2,129

1,174

2,180

3,012

2,328 2,411

3,195

3,932

5,724

-

1,000

2,000

3,000

4,000

5,000

6,000

7,000

2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016


-

5,000

10,000

15,000

20,000

25,000

30,000

2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016

Goulburn River Valley Daylesford & The Macedon Ranges


2.4. VISITOR DEMOGRAPHICS

Provided below is an overview of key visitor demographics for the daytrip, overnight and international visitor markets to Mitchell Shire; as compared to GRV and regional Victoria. This includes purpose of visit; visitor origin; travel group; age; activities; accommodation; transport method; and seasonality of visit, as available.

2.4.1. DOMESTIC DAYTRIP VISITORS

PURPOSE OF VISIT

A significantly lower proportion of domestic daytrip visitors to Mitchell Shire are holiday visitors (14%), as compared to 30% and 35% for GRV and regional Victoria respectively (Figure 8). Conversely, Mitchell Shire attracted a higher proportion of daytrip visitors visiting relatives and friends (47% compared to 30% and 31% for GRV and regional Victoria respectively).

FIGURE 8 DOMESTIC DAYTRIP PURPOSE OF VISIT (%)

Source: TRA CDMOTA NVS YE Dec 2012-2016 (total).

2 TRA region refers to the data collection tourism regions used by Tourism Research Australia. For further information see: https://www.tra.gov.au/tra/2016/Tourism_Region_Profiles/Region_profiles/index.html

ORIGIN

Almost all daytrip visitors to Mitchell Shire are from Victoria (99%), with a higher proportion of daytrip visitors from the Melbourne TRA region2. The top 5 TRA region origin(s) for visitors to Michell Shire are Melbourne (62%), Goulburn (15%), Melbourne East (7%), Bendigo Loddon (5%) and Geelong (2%) (Figure 9).

FIGURE 9 TOP 5 ORIGIN OF DAYTRIP VISITORS (%) BY TRA REGION

Source: TRA CDMOTA NVS YE Dec 2012-2016 (total)

31%

16% 14%

7% 6% 6%

20%

10%

30%

5%

10%8%

20%

11%

35%

3%7% 9%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

Visiting relativesVisiting friends Holiday Sport - participating Shopping Business

Mitchell Goulburn River Valley Regional Victoria

62%

15%

7%5% 2%

53%

12%9%

4%1%

51%

2% 5% 5% 4%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

Melbourne Goulburn Melbourne East Bendigo Loddon Geelong



AGE

Mitchell Shire has a higher proportion of visitors aged 25-34 (21%), and 65-74 (20%), and lower proportion of younger visitors aged 15-24 (9%), and 45-54 (14%) than GRV and regional Victoria (Figure 10).

FIGURE 10 DOMESTIC DAYTRIP VISITOR AGE PROFILE (%)


TRIP ACTIVITIES

Mitchell Shire has a lower proportion (32%) of domestic visitors who eat out / dine at a restaurant and/or café, and a higher proportion (48%) of visitors who visit friends and relatives during their trip than both GRV and regional Victoria (Table 5). Mitchell Shire also has a lower proportion of visitors who participate in sightseeing/looking around (14% compared to 17%), and who go shopping for pleasure (10% compared to 16% and 17%) than GRV and regional Victoria (Table 6).

TABLE 6 DOMESTIC DAYTRIP VISITOR ACTIVITY PARTICIPATION (%)

ACTIVITY MITCHELL GRV REGIONAL VICTORIA

Visit friends & relatives 48% 35% 35% Eat out / dine at a restaurant and/or cafe 32% 40% 44% Sightseeing/looking around 14% 17% 17% None of these 14% 13% 12% Go shopping for pleasure 10% 16% 17% Pubs, clubs, discos etc 7% 8% 7% Attend an organised sporting event 6% 3% 3% Play other sports 4% 3% 2% Other outdoor activities nfd 4% 3% 2% Picnics or BBQs 4% 5% 5% Bushwalking / rainforest walks 4% 8% 5% Visit national parks / state parks 3% 7% 5% Visit farms 3% 2% 1% Go to markets 2% 3% 4% Visit botanical or other public gardens 2% 3% 3% Visit history / heritage buildings, sites or monuments 2% 2% 2% Visit wineries 1% 2% 2% Attend festivals / fairs or cultural events 1% 1% 1% Fishing 1% 2% 3% Golf 1% 1% 1% Attend theatre, concerts or other performing arts 1% 0% 1%


9%

21%

16%

14%

16%

20%

4%

13%

18% 17% 17%15% 15%

6%

13%

16% 16%17% 17%

15%

6%

0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

15-24 25-34 35-44 45-54 55-64 65-74 75+



TRANSPORT METHOD

Almost all daytrip visitors to Mitchell Shire travelled by private vehicle or company car (96%). However, 3% of visitors to the Shire travelled by railway, which represented a higher proportion using this method than both GRV and regional Victoria (1% and 2% respectively) (Figure 11).

FIGURE 11 DAYTRIP METHOD OF TRANSPORT (%)

Source: TRA CDMOTA NVS YE Dec 2012-2016 (total); % have been rounded so may not equal 100%.

SEASONALITY

Seasonality of daytrip visitation to Mitchell Shire is variable, with peaks in March, October, December, and August (in line with GRV), and the lowest trough in November (Figure 12). Figure 13 depicts the seasonality of visit by age group which varies significantly.

FIGURE 12 DAYTRIP SEASONALITY OF VISIT (%)


FIGURE 13 SEASONALITY OF VISIT BY AGE GROUP (%)

96%

3% 2% 0%

96%

1% 2% 0%

96%

2% 1% 0%0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

120%

Private vehicle orcompany car

Railway Bus/Coach Rental car


0%

2%

4%

6%

8%

10%

12%Mitchell Goulburn River Valley Regional Victoria

0%5%

10%15%20%25%30%35%

15-24 25-34 35-44 45-54

55-64 65-74 75+


2.4.2. DOMESTIC OVERNIGHT VISITORS

PURPOSE OF VISIT

As with daytrip visitors, the highest proportion of overnight visitors to Mitchell Shire are visiting relatives (35%), which is a higher proportion than both GRV and regional Victoria (29% and 24% respectively). The Shire also has significantly lower holiday visitation (20% compared to 36% and 46% for GVR and regional Victoria respectively), and a higher proportion of both business visitors (15%) and those visiting friends (15%) (Figure 14).

FIGURE 14 OVERNIGHT PURPOSE OF VISIT (%)


ORIGIN

The majority of overnight visitors to Mitchell Shire are from Victoria (76%), however this is a lower proportion than both GRV (82%) and regional Victoria (85%). Mitchell

Shire also has a higher proportion of visitors from NSW (14%) with the majority of these from Regional NSW (74%) (Table 7).

TABLE 7 OVERNIGHT VISITOR ORIGIN (%)

MITCHELL GRV REGIONAL VICTORIA

Victoria 76% 82% 85%

Melbourne 62% 69% 65%

Regional Victoria 38% 31% 35%

New South Wales 14% 11% 7%

Sydney 26% 99% 35%

Regional NSW 74% 1% 65%

Queensland 3% 3% 2%

ACT 2% 1% 1%

South Australia 2% 2% 4%

Western Australia 2% 1% 1%

Tasmania 1% 1% 1%

Northern Territory 1% 0% 0%

Victoria 76% 82% 85%

Source: TRA NVS YE Dec 2012-2016 (total)

35%

20%15% 15%

4% 3%

29%

36%

11% 12%

1% 2%

24%

46%

9% 10%

1% 2%

0%5%

10%15%20%25%30%35%40%45%50%

Visitingrelatives

Holiday Business Visiting friends In transit To attend anevent, sport or

cultural orfestival



TRAVEL GROUP

The highest proportion of overnight visitors to Mitchell Shire are travelling alone (32%), which is a higher proportion than for both GRV and regional Victoria (21%) and is consistent with the prevalence of VFR and business visitors to the region. Mitchell Shire also has a significantly lower proportion of visitors travelling as a family group – parents and children (15%) than both GRV (22%) and regional Victoria (23%) (Figure 15).

FIGURE 15 OVERNIGHT TRAVEL GROUP (%)


AGE

Mitchell Shire has a fairly even overnight visitor age profile similar to both GRV and regional Victoria (Figure 16). One notable difference was the slightly lower proportion of visitors aged 45-54 (14% as compared to 17%).

FIGURE 16 OVERNIGHT AGE PROFILE (%)


TRIP ACTIVITIES

Visiting friends and relatives was the most popular activity for overnight visitors to Mitchell Shire (54%), higher than for GRV (49%) and regional Victoria (45%). Only 34% of visitors to the Shire participated in eating/dining out, which was significantly lower than the regional Victorian average (54%). Overall, Mitchell Shire experienced a lower proportion of participation across many activities as compared to GRV and/or regional Victoria, including visiting national parks/state parks (4% compared to 11% and 12%), bushwalking/rainforest walks (8% compared to 14% and 15%), and sightseeing/looking around (15% compared to 19% and 27%) (Table 8).

1%

5%

2%

18%

23%

29%

21%

1%

5%

3%

15%

22%

31%

21%

1%

4%

5%

10%

15%

32%

32%

0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30% 35%

Non-school sporting group/community groupor club

Friends or relatives travelling together - withchildren

Business associates travelling together -without spouse

Friends or relatives travelling together - withoutchildren

Family group - parents and children

Adult couple

Travelling alone

Mitchell Goulburn River Valley Regional Victoria 15%17% 17%

14%

18%

14%

5%

15%

17% 17% 17%18%

13%

4%

15%

17% 17% 17% 18%

13%

4%

0%

2%

4%

6%

8%

10%

12%

14%

16%

18%

20%

15-24 25-34 35-44 45-54 55-64 65-74 75+

Mitchell Shire Day Goulburn River Valley Regional Victoria


TABLE 8 OVERNIGHT VISITOR ACTIVITIES BY PARTICIPATION (%)


Visit friends & relatives 54% 49% 45%

Eat out / dine at a restaurant and/or cafe

34% 42% 54%

Go shopping for pleasure 16% 14% 20%

Pubs, clubs, discos etc 15% 18% 21%

Sightseeing/looking around 15% 19% 27%

None of these 12% 9% 6%

Bushwalking / rainforest walks 8% 14% 15%

Other outdoor activities nfd 8% 5% 4%

Go to markets 7% 7% 10%

Picnics or BBQs 4% 8% 8%

Visit history / heritage buildings, sites or monuments

4% 3% 5%

Visit national parks / state parks 4% 11% 12%

Visit wineries 4% 4% 5%

Attend festivals / fairs or cultural events 3% 3% 3%

Visit farms 3% 4% 2%

Fishing 3% 7% 7%

Attend theatre, concerts or other performing arts

2% 1% 2%

Exercise, gym or swimming 2% 4% 5%

Attend an organised sporting event 2% 3% 3%

Play other sports 2% 4% 4%

Go on a daytrip to another place 2% 3% 6%


ACCOMMODATION TYPE

The majority of overnight visitors to Mitchell Shire stayed in a friends or relatives property (53%) or standard hotel/motor inn (20%), which for both types was higher than for GRV and regional Victoria (Figure 17).

FIGURE 17 OVERNIGHT ACCOMMODATION TYPE (%)


2%

5%

8%

4%

3%

5%

1%

2%

16%

40%

2%

2%

5%

6%

3%

5%

1%

3%

19%

43%

1%

2%

2%

2%

2%

3%

3%

7%

20%

53%

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60%

Caravan park - camping

Luxury hotel or luxury resort (4 or 5 star)

Own property (e.g. holiday house)

Camping - national park/crown land

Caravan park - travelling with and staying in acaravan

Caravan park - cabin

Other non-commercial property

Camping - side of the road/private property

Standard hotel/motor inn (below 4 star)

Friends or relatives property



TRANSPORT METHOD

Domestic overnight visitors to Mitchell Shire primarily travelled by private vehicle or company car (86%), however this was a lower proportion than for both GRV (92%) and regional Victoria (90%) (Figure 18).

FIGURE 18 OVERNIGHT TRANSPORT METHOD (%)


SEASONALITY

The seasonality of overnight visitation to Mitchell Shire largely follows the same trend as GRV and regional Victoria, with more pronounced peaks in visitation during March and November, and the lowest trough in July in line with winter (Figure 19).

FIGURE 19 OVERNIGHT SEASONALITY OF VISIT (%)


86%

4% 4% 4% 1%

92%

2% 2% 2% 0%

90%

3% 4% 2% 0%0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

Private vehicle orcompany car

Railway Aircraft Bus/Coach Self-drivemotorhome or

campervan


0%

2%

4%

6%

8%

10%

12%

14%

16%Mitchell Shire GRVT Region Regional Vic ON


2.4.3. INTERNATIONAL VISITORS

PURPOSE OF VISIT

Although the largest proportion of international visitors to Mitchell Shire were holiday visitors (34%), this was a significantly lower proportion of holidays visitors than for regional Victoria (62%). As with domestic visitation, the Shire attracts a higher proportion of visiting relatives (24%), than both GRV (21%) and regional Victoria (18%) (Figure 20).

FIGURE 20 INTERNATIONAL PURPOSE OF VISIT (%)

Source: TRA CDMOTA IVS YE Dec 2007-2016 (total)

ORIGIN

The highest proportion of international visitors to Mitchell Shire were from New Zealand (22%), which was higher than for both regional Victoria and for Melbourne (14% respectively). The second highest was England (19%) which was a higher proportion than for GRV (12%), regional Victoria (15%) and Melbourne (8%) (Table 9). When compared to international visitor origin for Melbourne, it can be seen that

there is opportunity for Mitchell Shire and the wider GRV regions, as well as regional Victoria, to attract more Chinese visitors with this market comprising the largest proportion of international visitors to Melbourne (16%).

TABLE 9 INTERNATIONAL VISITOR ORIGIN BY COUNTRY (%)

MITCHELL GRV REGIONAL VICTORIA

MELBOURNE

New Zealand 22% 22% 14% 14%

England 19% 12% 15% 8%

United States of America 10% 9% 9% 8%

Germany 6% 5% 8% 4%

Malaysia 5% 3% 3% 5%

China (excl SARs and Taiwan province) 4% 2% 5% 16%

Canada 3% 3% 4% 2%

Singapore 3% 3% 3% 5%

Denmark 3% 1% 1% 0%

France 3% 6% 4% 2%

India 2% 2% 2% 4%

Japan 2% 2% 1% 2%

Ireland 2% 3% 2% 1%

Israel 2% 1% 1% 0%

Sweden 1% 1% 1% 1%

Thailand 1% 1% 1% 1%

Scotland 1% 1% 2% 1%

United Kingdom nfd 1% 1% 2% 1%

Hong Kong (SAR of China) 1% 2% 2% 3%

South Korea 1% 2% 1% 2%

Samoa 1% 0% 0% 0%


34%

24%

13%9%

5% 4%

28%21%

13% 10%3% 2%

62%

18%

10%5% 2% 1%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

Holiday Visitingrelatives

Visiting friends Business Education In transit



TRAVEL GROUP

The majority of international visitors to Mitchell Shire are unaccompanied travellers (50%) followed by those in an adult couple (25%) (Figure 21).

FIGURE 21 INTERNATIONAL TRAVEL GROUP (%)

Source: TRA CDMOTA IVS YE Dec 2007-2016 (total).

AGE

Unlike GRV and regional Victoria, Mitchell Shire has a fairly even visitor age profile with the highest proportion of visitors aged between 15-24 (20%) which is similar to the GRV (21%). However the Shire had significantly less visitors aged 25-34 (16%) compared to both GRV (21%) and regional Victoria (24%), and visitors aged 55-62 (15% compared to 24% and 19% respectively) (Figure 22)

FIGURE 22 INTERNATIONAL AGE PROFILE (%)


TRIP ACTIVITIES

A lower proportion of international visitors who visited Mitchell Shire participated in visiting national parks/state parks (48%) than visitors to GRV (52%) and regional Victoria (65%) (Table 10).

TABLE 10 INTERNATIONAL VISITOR ACTIVITIES PARTICIPATED IN DURING TRIP – TOP 10(%)


Eat out / dine at a restaurant and/or cafe 92% 91% 92%

Go shopping for pleasure 76% 71% 79%

Sightseeing/looking around 75% 72% 81%

Visit national parks / state parks 48% 52% 65%

50%

25%

11% 11%

3%

57%

20%

11% 9%2%

49%

29%

10% 9%

2%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

Unaccompaniedtraveller

Adult couple Friends and/ orrelatives travelling

together

Family group -parent(s) and

children

Businessassociates

travelling togetherwith or without

spouses

Mitchell Goulburn River Valley Regional Victoria20%

16%15%

18%

15%16%

21% 21%

8%

17%

24%

9%

16%

24%

14%16%

19%

12%

0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

30%

15-24 25-34 35-44 45-54 55-64 65+

Mitchell Shire Goulburn River Valley Regional Victoria


Pubs, clubs, discos etc 48% 56% 56%

Visit wildlife parks / zoos / aquariums 40% 36% 46%

Visit museums or art galleries 36% 39% 47%

Bushwalking / rainforest walks 35% 38% 45%

Visit botanical or other public gardens 31% 40% 52%


ACCOMMODATION TYPE

The highest proportion of international visitors to Mitchell Shire stayed at a friend or relatives property (43%) which was higher than for both GRV (38%) and regional Victoria (32%) (Figure 23).

FIGURE 23 INTERNATIONAL VISITOR ACCOMMODATION (%)


TRANSPORT METHOD

The highest proportion of international visitors used a private vehicle or company car as their transport method (47%), which is a higher proportion than for GRV (43%) and regional Victoria (37%) (Figure 24).

FIGURE 24 INTERNATIONAL TRANSPORT METHOD (%)


6%

3%

5%

2%

4%

1%

1%

1%

29%

32%

3%

1%

2%

2%

3%

3%

2%

2%

20%

38%

2%

2%

2%

3%

3%

3%

3%

4%

27%

43%

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50%

Luxury hotel or luxury resort (4 or 5 star)

Caravan park - travelling with a motor home…

Guest house or Bed & Breakfast

Camping - side of the road/private property

Caravan park - cabin

Other non-commercial property

Motor home or campervan - side of the…

Education institution (University/school…

Standard hotel/motor inn (below 4 star)

Friends or relatives property

Mitchell Shire Goulburn River Valley Regional Victoria

5%

4%

3%

6%

7%

11%

34%

37%

1%

5%

3%

10%

6%

12%

22%

43%

1%

1%

4%

5%

8%

10%

27%

47%

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50%

Charter or tour bus

Long distance coach or bus

Local public transport

Long distance train (non-suburban)

Self-drive motorhome or campervan

Aircraft

Rental car

Private vehicle or company car



2.5. VISITOR EXPENDITURE

2.5.1. OVERVIEW

Presented below is an overview of the estimated expenditure to Mitchell Shire, including daytrip, overnight and international expenditure. Table 11 shows that on average, expenditure by visitors to Mitchell Shire was equal to approximately $113.4 million annually, equating to 18% of expenditure for GRV (Table 12), and comprising $36.5 million in daytrip, $62.6 million in overnight and $14.3 million in international expenditure.

TABLE 11 TOTAL ANNUAL AVERAGE EXPENDITURE COMPARED TO SIMILAR LGAS

MITCHELL % BAW BAW % MOORABOOL %

Daytrip $36,477,437 32% $41,323,430 35% $21,376,643 42%

Overnight $62,624,909 55% $61,297,102 52% $24,540,808 49% International $14,280,063 13% $15,962,882 13% $4,489,223 9%

TOTAL $113,382,409 100% $118,583,414 100% $50,406,674 100%

Source: TRA NVS YE Dec 2012-2016 (average); TRA IVS YE Dec 2007-2016 (average)

TABLE 12 PROPORTIONAL TOTAL ANNUAL AVERAGE EXPENDITURE

MITCHELL GRV PROPORTION Daytrip $36,477,437 $222,615,609 16% Overnight $62,624,909 $324,678,508 19% International $14,280,063 $89,763,134 16% TOTAL $113,382,409 $637,057,251 18%

Source: TRA CDMOTA NVS YE Dec 2012-2016 (average); TRA IVS YE Dec 2007-2016 (average)

2.5.2. DOMESTIC DAYTRIP EXPENDITURE

Daytrip visitors to the Shire contributed approximately $34.6 million in ‘local’ expenditure, equating to $76.49 per visitor, which was higher than both Baw Baw ($55.93) and Moorabool ($55.82), but significantly lower than for the GRV ($107.40) and regional Victoria ($90.54) (Table 13).

TABLE 13 DOMESTIC DAYTRIP LOCAL SPEND PER TRIP COMPARISON

TOTAL 'LOCAL' SPEND (IN THE REGION)

‘LOCAL’ SPEND PER TRIP/PERSON

MITCHELL $34,628,040 $76.49 BAW BAW $37,740,169 $55.93 MOORABOOL $19,159,302 $55.82 GOULBURN RIVER VALLEY $210,954,616 $107.40 DAYLESFORD & THE MACEDON RANGES $158,540,485 $73.24 REGIONAL VICTORIA $2,330,507,998 $90.54

Source: TRA CDMOTA NVS YE Dec 2012-2016 (average)

Petrol was the highest spend item for daytrip visitors to Mitchell Shire at $29.50, comprising 39% of daytrip visitor spend in the region. This was higher than the spend on petrol for all other comparison regions other than GRV ($32.81), however petrol also represented 39% of spend for Baw Baw and 40% for Moorabool.

Visitors to Mitchell Shire spend less on takeaways and restaurant meals ($14.52) than all other comparison regions, and have a significantly lower spend per visit on shopping ($11.36) than for the wider GRV ($35.63). Conversely, they had the second highest spend on groceries ($8.18) and highest spend on alcohol ($6.74) and gambling ($2.41) out of the regions compared (Table 14 overleaf).


TABLE 14 DOMESTIC DAYTRIP LOCAL EXPENDITURE BY SPEND PER ITEM AND PROPORTION OF SPEND

EXPENDITURE ITEM MITCHELL BAW BAW MOORABOOL DAYLESFORD &

MACEDON RANGES GOULBURN RIVER

VALLEY REGIONAL VICTORIA

Petrol 39% $29.50 39% $21.73 40% $22.19 33% $24.00 31% $32.81 32% $29.03 Takeaways and restaurant meals 19% $14.52 29% $16.29 27% $15.23 29% $21.04 19% $20.16 25% $22.84 Shopping / gifts /souvenirs 15% $11.36 15% $8.20 14% $7.73 17% $12.42 33% $35.63 24% $21.91 Groceries for self-catering 11% $8.18 7% $4.08 7% $3.96 7% $5.34 8% $8.38 7% $6.53 Alcohol, drinks (not already reported) 9% $6.74 4% $2.34 5% $2.56 7% $5.18 5% $5.25 6% $5.23 Entertainment 4% $3.07 5% $2.80 6% $3.63 6% $4.50 4% $3.88 5% $4.32 Gambling 3% $2.41 1% $0.48 1% $0.44 1% $0.57 1% $0.72 0% $0.33 Rental vehicles 1% $0.71 0% $- 0% $0.07 0% $0.20 1% $0.56 0% $0.35



2.5.3. DOMESTIC OVERNIGHT EXPENDITURE

Domestic overnight visitors to Mitchell Shire had an average annual ‘local’ expenditure of $48.2 million, equating to $357.52 per visitor and $127.33 per night in the Shire. Spend per visitor was higher but spend per night lower than for the GRV region ($336.17 and $139.69 respectively) (Table 15). The total local spend, per visitor spend and per night spend for Mitchell Shire were all higher than for both Baw Baw and Moorabool.

TABLE 15 DOMESTIC OVERNIGHT LOCAL SPEND PER TRIP COMPARISON



‘LOCAL’ SPEND PER NIGHT

MITCHELL $48,221,180 $357.52 $127.33 BAW BAW $47,198,769 $263.62 $124.83 MOORABOOL $18,896,422 $267.28 $100.43 GRV $250,002,451 $336.17 $139.69 DMR $261,489,923 $386.01 $167.49 REGIONAL VICTORIA $4,628,139,523 $375.16 $125.48


2.5.4. INTERNATIONAL EXPENDITURE

International visitors to Mitchell Shire had an average annual ‘local’ expenditure of $9.1 million, equating to $2,983.06 per visitor and $201.05 per night. This equated to a higher spend per night by visitors to Mitchell Shire than for all other comparison regions except regional Victoria ($216.04) (Table 16).

TABLE 16 INTERNATIONAL LOCAL SPEND PER TRIP COMPARISON



‘LOCAL’ SPEND PER NIGHT

MITCHELL $9,168,036 $2,983.06 $201.05 BAW BAW $11,578,560 $2,659.92 $142.03 MOORABOOL $3,802,705 $2,115.79 $128.35 GRV $63,991,534 $3,627.42 $152.69 DMR $33,652,073 $2,361.47 $197.95 REGIONAL VICTORIA $1,040,720,388 $3,037.65 $216.04

Source: TRA CDMOTA IVS YE Dec 2007-2016 (average)


3. VISITOR ECONOMY PROFILE

3.1. INTRODUCTION

This section provides an overview of the visitor economy in Mitchell Shire including assessment of the size and value of the visitor economy measured in jobs and output, as well as providing an understanding of the existing community in Mitchell Shire which influences both development and visitation to the Shire.

3.1.1. KEY FINDINGS

The visitor economy in Mitchell Shire generates output of $103 million and supports 609 jobs within the Shire, and provides employment for around 6% of those working in Mitchell Shire.

With high growth occurring in the southern part of Mitchell Shire, the visitor economy will also grow as most visitors to Mitchell Shire are visiting to see friends and relatives. There is opportunity to leverage greater yield and benefit from the VFR market through creating greater awareness around the things to see and do across the Shire to the resident population.

3.1.2. CHANGING DEFINITION OF THE VISITOR ECONOMY

As the economic impact of tourism has become more widely researched and its impacts more closely understood, the traditional definition has evolved to a more complex appreciation of the industry. It is now recognised that visitor activity does not occur in isolation and contributes to the wider investment and jobs across a range of industry sectors. As recognised by the Victorian Visitor Economy Strategy (2016) the ‘visitor economy’ refers to the production of goods and services for

3 Investing in Mitchell Shire, Mitchell Shire Council, https://www.mitchellshire.vic.gov.au/our-region/taking-care-of-business/investing#Key_industry_sectors

consumption by visitors, which includes the industries that directly service visitors such as hotels, transport providers, tour companies and attractions, as well as intermediaries and those involved indirectly, such as retail and food production.

For Mitchell Shire it is important to note the significance of the VFR market, given its population growth and proximity to Melbourne’s growth areas.

3.2. INDUSTRY PROFILE

3.2.1. KEY INDUSTRY SECTORS

Mitchell Shire3 identifies construction, education, equine, manufacturing and retail as the key industry sectors in the Shire, driven by predicted significant population growth for the Shire, well regarded secondary and tertiary educational institutions, a strong horse racing and breeding sector, and manufacturing companies and retail centres located in Broadford, Kilmore, Seymour and Wallan.

3.2.2. TOURISM ECONOMY OUTPUT

As at 2016, of the $2.83 billion total output of Mitchell Shire it is estimated that $102,692 million is generated from tourism; with 609 jobs of the 9,483 people working in Mitchell estimated to be supported by tourism. Tourism wages and salaries in the Shire are equal to $24.7 million of the $784.6 million paid by businesses and organisations to workers in the Shire, or $46,108 in annual tourism wages per person. Of the total value added in the Mitchell Shire economy of $1.396 billion it is estimated that tourism contributes $43.024 million or 3.08 % percent4.

4 Remplan Economy, 2016


Of output attributable to tourism, 39% is generated by the accommodation and food services industry ($31.83 million) followed by transport, postal and warehousing (28%) (Figure 25).

FIGURE 25 OUTPUT ATTRIBUTABLE TO TOURISM BY INDUSTRY (%)

Source: Remplan Economy, 2016

3.2.3. TOURISM ECONOMY EMPLOYMENT

Of employment attributable to tourism, 47% is within accommodation and food (252 jobs), followed by 21% within retail (111 jobs) (Figure 26).

FIGURE 26 EMPLOYMENT ATTRIBUTABLE TO TOURISM BY INDUSTRY BY NUMBER OF JOBS

Source: Remplan Economy, 2016

1%

1%

1%

1%

1%

1%

2%

3%

6%

6%

11%

28%

39%

0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30% 35% 40% 45%

Agriculture, Forestry & Fishing

Wholesale Trade

Health Care & Social Assistance

Other Services

Information Media & Telecommunications

Administrative & Support Services

Rental, Hiring & Real Estate Services

Eduation & Training

Arts & Recreation Services

Ownership of Dwellings

Manufacturing

Transport, Postal & Warehousing

Accommodation & Food Services

1

2

3

3

4

4

7

13

19

28

89

111

252

0 50 100 150 200 250 300

Information Media & Telecommunications

Administrative & Support Services

Wholesale Trade

Rental, Hiring & Real Estate Services

Other Services

Agriculture, Forestry & Fishing

Health Care & Social Assistance

Manufacturing

Education & Training

Arts & Recreation Services

Transport, Postal & Warehousing

Retail Trade

Accommodation & Food Services


3.3. COMMUNITY PROFILE

The following community profile has been built from the recently released 2016 Census Data5, the previous 2011 release, and Profile ID data compiled from the 2011 census.

In 2016 there were 40,918 people residing in Mitchell Shire, up from 34,638 as recorded in 2011. 50.3% of these residents were male, and 49.7% female, with a median age of 37. Children under 14 made up the largest proportion of the population at 20.7% (compared to 18.2% for Victoria as a whole), with those of retirement age (over 65) comprising 14.2% of the total population.

Ancestry in Mitchell Shire was predominantly Australian (30.4%, down from 41.6% in 2011) and English (27.2%, down from 38.6% in 2011), which was higher than for Victoria overall (21.1% and 22.6% respectively). 79.1% of residents were born in Australia (down from 83.2 in 2011), and 63.3% of residents had both parents born in Australia. 1.6% of Mitchell’s population identify as aboriginal or Torres Strait islander, and 17.0% of residents indicated both parents were born overseas.

Couple families with children (46.4%) and without children (35.5%) comprised the majority of residents in Mitchell, in line with Victoria, with an average of 2.7 people per household. 48% of Mitchell residents were married.

31.6% of residents were attending an educational institution (27.6% primary; 22.4% secondary; and 13.2% tertiary or technical institution), however significantly less residents attended university or tertiary institution (7.4%) than the Victorian average (17.8%).

The median weekly household income for Mitchell Shire was $1,391 (which was lower than the Victorian average at $1419), with the median for monthly mortgage repayments $1,582 and median weekly rent $265.

16,297 private dwellings were recorded in Mitchell, including 13,721 occupied dwellings and 1,427 unoccupied dwellings. The majority of dwellings were separate

5 http://www.abs.gov.au/websitedbs/D3310114.nsf/Home/Census?OpenDocument&ref=topBar

houses (93%) with this significantly higher than for Victoria overall (73%). There were an average 2.1 motor vehicles per dwelling.

Table 17 provides key statistics by key townships identified within Mitchell Shire.

TABLE 17 KEY STATISTICS BY STATE SUBURB (SSC)

STATE SUBURB (SSC)

POPULATION 2011

POPULATION 2016

MEDIAN AGE (2016)

MEDIAN WEEKLY HOUSEHOLD INCOME (2016)

PRIVATE DWELLINGS (2016)

Wallan 8,504 11,074 33 $1,592 3,996

Kilmore 6,678 7,958 38 $1,343 3,130

Seymour 6,370 6,327 45 $977 3,021

Broadford 4,175 4,319 39 $1,239 1,800

Beveridge 872 2,330 32 $1,940 774

Wandong 1,294 1,340 40 $1,745 483

Puckapunyal 1,155 1,078 25 $2,035 273

Heathcote Junction 847

839 37 $1,761 290

Tallarook 789 736 46 $1,336 358

Pyalong 736 660 42 $1,286 284

Reedy Creek 241 166 41 $1,271 82

Changes in the local community of Mitchell Shire including population growth in key townships, will continue to influence the development of supporting visitor economy product and visitation in the region.


4. EXISTING TOURISM AND VISITOR ECONOMY PRODUCT

4.1. INTRODUCTION

Urban Enterprise has developed the following profile of existing tourism and visitor economy product within Mitchell Shire drawing on past strategies and action plans, and supplementary desktop research. This profile includes consideration of the regional context of Mitchell Shire, an overview of the regions product by key categories, and a brief profile of each of the following key identified townships: Wallan, Kilmore, Seymour, Broadford, Beveridge, Wandong, Puckapunyal, Heathcote Junction, Tallarook, Tooborac, Pyalong and Reedy Creek.

4.2. KEY FINDINGS

Mitchell Shire is positioned between a number of areas that have well developed tourism product, including the Macedon Ranges to the west, Bendigo and Heathcote to the north west and Strathbogie and Murrindindi to the north and east.

One of the greatest opportunities for the north of the Shire is the potential to leverage off the development of Nagambie as a tourist destination. Seymour, in particular is well positioned to leverage from Nagambie’s growth. The growth of Murrindindi to the east also represents an opportunity for the Shire.

The patterns of tourism development in Victoria show that tourism usually develops from areas of high aesthetic natural or heritage value. These often act as a backdrop for product development. In the case of Mitchell Shire, the focus for tourism development needs also to consider this. Key townships such as Kilmore, Seymour and some of the smaller towns (such as Tallarook) have aesthetic heritage appeal, however the attraction of a critical mass of quality tourism operators such as destination cafes, restaurants, microbreweries and craft retail has not occurred to date.

Likewise, the development of contemporary tourism product in areas of high aesthetic value such as the Trawool Valley and along the Goulburn River, or in

proximity to Tallarook or the Hume Ranges, has also not occurred. These areas, as well as Tooborac and the surrounding region, Seymour, and Kilmore should be areas of focus, with further effort needing to be made to analyse areas that have aesthetic appeal, and formulate product development plans that consider opportunities for investment in tourism.

At a precinct level, existing product strengths for the region which should be leveraged include:

• Heritage assets; wineries; and local food and produce in the small townships of Tooborac, Pyalong and surrounds;

• Arts and culture; heritage assets; equine; and motorsports in Kilmore, Broadford and surrounds;

• Military and rail heritage; food and beverage; markets and events; cycling; river and environment; wineries and equine in Seymour, Puckapunyal and surrounds;

• Heritage assets; family recreation; and markets and events in Wallan, Beveridge and surrounds; and

• The natural environment in Heathcote Junction, Wandong and surrounds.

The development of a tourism product strategy which focuses specifically on product development in the areas above should be considered, rather than a broad-Shire wide strategy for all areas without focus.


4.3. REGIONAL CONTEXT

GOULBURN RIVER VALLEY

Regional product strengths identified for Goulburn River Valley within the 2014 Destination Management Plan (DMP) prepared for the region included:

• Nature-based & adventure sports;

• Food and Wine;

• Festivals and Events;

• Business and Conferencing;

• History and Heritage;

• Equine;

• Arts and Culture;

• Indigenous Tourism; and

• Golf

Within the Goulburn River Valley 2014 DMP, Mitchell Shire was separated into two sub-regions, Seymour and surrounds, and Kilmore/Broadford. Seymour and surrounds was identified as having primary products strengths in equine, and history and heritage; secondary strengths in nature based and adventure/sports, food and wine, and festivals and events; and emerging strengths in golf, arts & culture, and business & conferencing. The Kilmore/Broadford subregion was identified as having a primary product strength in festivals and events, a secondary strength in equine products, and history and heritage as an emerging product strength.

4.3.1. POTENTIAL REGIONAL LINKAGES

Mitchell Shire is bordered by the LGAs of Macedon Ranges Shire; Hepburn Shire; Mount Alexander Shire; City of Greater Bendigo; Strathbogie Shire and Murrindindi Shire (Figure 27). These LGAs form part of the following Visit Victoria regions:

• Daylesford and Macedon Ranges (Macedon Ranges Shire; Hepburn Shire);

• Goldfields (Mount Alexander Shire; City of Greater Bendigo);

• Murray (Strathbogie Shire); and

• Yarra Valley and the Dandenong Ranges (Murrindindi Shire and High Country).

The proximity to the Hume Freeway and Goulburn Valley Highway provide connections to key destinations in Victoria including Melbourne’s CBD, Port of Melbourne, Melbourne Airport, Goulburn Valley ‘Food bowl’ and key regional centres (e.g. Albury/Wodonga, Wangaratta).

Mitchell Shire is located close to three significant wine regions, Heathcote, Nagambie and Strathbogie ranges. The north west of the Shire’s proximity to the Heathcote wine region presents a key linkage opportunity, as does Seymour’s further development of a trail/link (car, bicycle) to the different wineries within the wider region

The growth of Nagambie as a tourism destination presents opportunities for the development of tour route linkages from Mitchell through to Nagambie, Murchison and on to Bendigo.

Although Mitchell’s proximity to key tourism destinations creates an opportunity to create various product linkages, the competition these destinations present has also influenced its development as a destination to date.

MELBOURNE PROXIMITY

The proximity of Mitchell Shire to Greater Melbourne is both an opportunity and a barrier for the Shire in terms of capturing visitation. Whilst the proximity is an opportunity for townships such as Seymour to capture more overnight visitation through product development, the proximity to Melbourne presents a difficulty for daytrip visitor conversion for areas that are connected to the metropolitan area such as Wallan.


FIGURE 27 REGIONAL STRATEGIC CONTEXT

x


4.4. REGIONAL PRODUCT OVERVIEW

Mitchell Shire has a broad product profile, with key businesses and attractions across the following categories: heritage and history; nature; sport and recreation; events and conferencing; arts and culture; food and wine; and retail and other services. Figure 28 maps the key regional products by location.

4.4.1. HERITAGE AND HISTORY

There are a significant number of history and heritage products located within the Shire, linking to its role as a major stopover during the gold rush years and its extensive military history. This includes the Ned Kelly Trail and Ned Kelly’s family home in Beveridge and former school (Beveridge Catholic School); the continuing role of Puckapunyal as a military training facility and the Tank Museum; and key attractions in other townships such as the Vietnam Veterans Commemorative Walk and the Australian Light Horse Memorial Park in Seymour. The Shire also has a strong railway and tramway heritage focus, with key attractions including the Seymour Heritage Railway Centre and the Heritage Tramway Museum in Bylands.

4.4.2. NATURE

Mitchell Shire has many significant natural attractions both within the Shire and directly surrounding it. These include the Goulburn River which traverses through the Seymour township; Tallarook and Mt Disappointment State forests; Wallaby Creek Catchment; and Seymour Bushland Park and the Australian Light Horse Memorial Park (Seymour).

4.4.3. SPORTS AND RECREATION

Sport and recreation is also a product strength of the region, with key sporting facilities including the Broadford State Motorcycle Sports Complex, and the Hume International Raceway. The equine industry is a recognised primary product strength of the region, supported by numerous racing clubs, training facilities and stud farms within the Shire. In particular the Seymour Racecourse and Kilmore Racing Track are

key equine attractions supporting community and visitor events, and Shire also forms part of the Black Caviar Trail, a touring trail tracing the heritage of Black Caviar supported by a number of food and wine attractions. The Great Victorian Rail Trail also passes through the Shire, which forms part of the state significant cycling tourism product of the North East Region.

A number of other outdoor and adventure sports are also popular in the Shire, including watersports, horse riding, hunting, 4WD and golf, with other key recreational facilities catering to families including the Community Bank® Adventure Playground (incorporating splashpark) in Wallan, and popular Edgar’s Mission Animal Farm which is just outside of the Shire.

4.4.4. EVENTS AND CONFERENCING

A number of events are held within the Shire including the Seymour Alternative Farming Expo, the Seymour Show, Kilmore Celtic Festival, Tastes of the Goulburn, the Boogie Festival (Tallarook) and the Wandong Country Music Festival. The Earthcore Festival was also held in the Shire until 2016, and a Broadford Blues Festival is proposed to run from 2018. Additional key racing events associated with Kilmore Racing Club and Seymour Racing Club held in the Shire, most notably the Seymour Cup. Numerous community level country race meets occurring throughout the year, and motorcycle racing events and other events held at the Broadford State Motorcycle Sports Complex. The Tallarook Market is also a popular monthly event which leverages from the Shire’s growing food culture.

4.4.5. ARTS AND CULTURE

Limited arts and culture products and attractions exist in the Shire, centred primarily around Kilmore, but also including the significant Old Post Office and Gallery in Seymour, the Old Courthouse and the Seymour Performing Arts Centre.

4.4.6. FOOD, WINE AND ACCOMMODATION

With its proximity to Victoria’s food bowl Mitchell Shire has emerging strengths in food production and associated farm gate experiences, however commercial food


offerings within the Shire appear to be somewhat limited, particularly those which are iconic and of a high quality which are able to draw visitors to the region. However the recent development of contemporary food and wine product can be seen within the Shire, with successful businesses including Wine x Sam, The Winery Kitchen, McIvors Estate, The Meat Room, Warialda Belted Galloways, Bluetongue Berries, Bravegoose Vineyard, Tooborac Hotel and Brewery, Merindoc Vineyards, Trawool Valley Resort, and the monthly Tallarook Market. A number of these also offer accommodation.

4.4.7. RETAIL AND OTHER SERVICES

Mitchell Shire has strong retail bases in Wallan, Kilmore and Seymour, and is well-serviced for social and community infrastructure including quality primary and secondary schools, hospitals, and aged care facilities. Seymour, Kilmore, and Wallan provide key retail businesses such as supermarkets which also service nearby smaller towns, as well as specialty retailing.


FIGURE 28 KEY REGIONAL PRODUCTS OVERVIEW


4.5. TOWNSHIP PROFILES

4.5.1. WALLAN

Wallan currently has the largest resident base in Mitchell Shire, and is anticipated to be one of the key centres of growth supporting the Shire’s predicted 50,000 people population growth to 2036. The township has a strong retail base, including food services, as well as key recreational assets including the Community Bank® Adventure Playground (incorporating splashpark), Hidden Valley Resort including Golf and Country Club, Greenhill Reserve (set to expand in coming years) and the R. B. Robson Stadium, however tourism product in the township is limited.

The monthly Wallan Olde Time Market is a popular community event for the town.

Economic development initiatives identified for the township of Wallan within the 2016-2021 Economic Development Strategy (EDS) included:

• Expanding Wallan’s role as an Activity Centre including retail; entertainment; dining and business services.

The DMP identified that both Wallan and Beveridge are part of a major growth corridor to the north of Melbourne’s Urban Growth Boundary, which is accommodating significant population drift. It will continue to be a major source of visitor markets, such as the VFR Market, as the population continues to grow

A $4 million investment in streetscape improvements will see the creation of two new public spaces, with this partly aimed at attracting residents to stay and recreate in Wallan rather than going to other nearby retail and food/dining centres, particularly in Craigieburn and Epping.

4.5.2. KILMORE

Kilmore is the second largest resident base in Mitchell Shire, with an associated strong and growing retail offering.

History and heritage is a product strength of the township, with the Kilmore historic township incorporating the Old Kilmore Gaol, Kilmore Courthouse; Kilmore Town Hall, and Monument Hill Reserve. The Kilmore Miniature Railway and Bylands Heritage Tramway Museum (located between Kilmore and Wallan townships) also link in to the Shires railway history.

Kilmore also provides an arts and culture presence in the Shire, with key attractions in the township including Myriad Glass Design, and Artmakers Mill.

Key sport and recreation attractions within Kilmore include the Kilmore Golf Club, Kilmore Racing Club and Racing Track, and the Kilmore Leisure Centre. The Kilmore Celtic Festival is an annual event for the township.

Kilmore International School and Assumption College are also within the township and may attract VFR visitation.

Economic development initiatives identified for the township within the EDS included:

• Promoting Kilmore as a lifestyle village/town including amenity improvements; and

• Expanding Kilmore’s role as a regional service centre including retail; tourism; dining and entertainment business services; education and health.

Product gaps identified for Kilmore within the DMP included:

• Self‐contained accommodation in Kilmore to cater for VFR and events visitation;

• The under‐utilisation of heritage buildings for tourist uses in Kilmore;

• Noteworthy dining in the Kilmore / Broadford region; and

• Limited quality in terms of the food and beverage offer in Kilmore, with limited niche or boutique offer. An improved offer to cater to day‐trippers, passing traffic and weekend visitors would increase yield and length of stay in the region.

Priority, Tier 2, and Tier 3 projects identified as destination development opportunities within the DMP included the following (a number of which have been actioned):

• Investigate opportunities and sites with development potential that front the Kilmore Creek, for the development of a new tourism precinct; and Prepare a masterplan for the precinct that identifies key development sites and supports streetscape and creek-front improvements (Tier 2);


• Investigate the feasibility of attracting new events to Kilmore, building on existing events (Tier 2);

• Support the planned development and improvement of Kilmore Racecourse, which includes renovations to the grandstand, public dining areas and the construction of a new link building between the pavilion and Kilmore Trackside; and Support future development at the track such as facilities upgrades (i.e. parade ring, mounting yards and jockey facilities) and the development of supporting commercial development (Tier 2);

• Provide medium scale self-contained accommodation in Kilmore (Tier 3);

• Identify and promote a site in order to attract an artisans store or cellar door in Kilmore. (Tier 3);

• Investigate options to fund and implement restoration works to the Kilmore heritage streetscape (Sydney Street) (Tier 3); and

• Investigate the feasibility of a heritage walk in Kilmore, supported by signage and interpretation. (Tier 3).

4.5.3. SEYMOUR

Seymour provides a lifestyle-rural setting, surrounded by a network of other towns and has traditionally played the role of regional service centre for its residents and the surrounding rural population. This includes Yea and Flowerdale, to the east, Mangalore to the north, Tallarook to the south, and the Puckapunyal army base to the west.

Seymour provides a strong retail base for its residents, with key food, wine and accommodation products concentrated in and around the township including Blue Tongue Berries, The Winery Kitchen, The Brewers Table, Wine x Sam, Bravegoose Vineyard, The Railway Club Hotel, Café 96 and the Royal Hotel.

The township has a strong history and heritage product profile, with key attractions including the Seymour Heritage Drive, Vietnam Veterans Commemorative Walk, Seymour Railway Heritage Centre, Pioneer Park, the WWI Memorial, Old Goulburn Bridge and the Australian Light Horse Memorial Park.

Key natural attractions within and surrounding Seymour include the Goulburn River, Whiteheads Creek, and the Seymour Bushland Park. Other major parks within the region include Goulburn Park, Lions Park, Kings Park and Chittick Park. Sport and recreation attractions include the Seymour Golf Club, Seymour Leisure Centre, and Seymour Racing Club. Seymour is a hub for thoroughbred racing and training, including the Seymour Racecourse which provides training for major studs in the north east region and has recently undergone a $5.5 million track widening upgrade. There are approximately 35 trainers utilising the facilities at Seymour and training a total of 100 horses. The current facilities could accommodate up to 175 horses, highlighting the potential future growth in the industry.

The Seymour Alternative Farming Expo is a key event for the township; drawing in the vicinity of 20,000+ visitors annually, and was acquired three years ago by the McPherson Media Group who intend to grow the event.


• Expanding Seymour’s role as a major regional centre through events; retail; equine; creative industry; industrial and education; and

• Investigating potential for horticulture and tourism along the Goulburn river.

The strategy also identified that there was “opportunity to improve the town’s tourism, food, retail and arts and cultural base”, with identified tourism opportunities including:

• Leveraging off existing events;

• Commercial dining opportunities;

• Destination food and beverage: microbrewery/distillery;

• New and improved existing trail and path linkages;

• Accommodation; and

• Function Centre.

Product gaps identified for Seymour within the DMP included:

• A quality café / boutique / coffee offer in Seymour; this could be linked to the Vietnam Veterans Commemorative Walk. This could increase yield, capture passing trade and cater to strong business markets;


• General quality of dining options in the region (for Seymour and surrounds);

• High quality self‐contained accommodation in Seymour that caters for VFR and business markets, similar to a small/medium scale Quest accommodation; and

• The provision of conference facilities in Seymour to capitalise on the accessibility and stature of the town as a regional centre.

Priority, Tier 2, and Tier 3 projects identified as destination development opportunities within the DMP included:

• Investigating the feasibility of delivering a Goulburn Riverside Precinct Development in Seymour, by installing the Seymour Flood Levee and unlocking the Seymour Riverside Precinct for Development (Priority);

• Expansion of the rail trail to incorporate a Seymour-Tallarook (in conjunction with an Alexandra-Eildon link). Investigate further private sector opportunities which can leverage from the trail, such as accommodation and dining. (Priority);

• Investigate sites and the feasibility of delivering a conference venue in Seymour including:

• Business conferencing facilities;

• Possible high quality ancillary accommodation; and

• A supporting dining/food and drink offer (Tier 2)

• Investigate sites and the feasibility of delivering an off-base military interpretive museum, linked to the Puckapunyal base, to showcase the military history of the region. (Tier 2)

• Support the development and implementation of a Seymour Structure Plan to provide design options for the re-configuration of the township (such as access, permeability, vehicular flow, public realm and streetscape) (Tier 2)

• Investigate sites to deliver high quality self-contained accommodation in Seymour (Tier 2);

• Position, promote and brand Seymour as a military themed region, drawing on the strengths of the Vietnam Veterans Commemorative Walk, The Australian Light Horse Memorial Park and Puckapunyal Army base (Tier 2);

• Support the delivery of Stage 3 of the Vietnam Veterans Commemorative Walk (Tier 2);

• Investigate the feasibility of providing a Visitor Information Centre and military themed café in proximity to the Vietnam Veterans Commemorative Walk (Tier 2);

• Support the implementation of the provisions of the Australian Light Horse Memorial Park Masterplan – including visitor information, accessibility, signage, interpretation, and trail linkages (Tier 2); and

• Support the planned development and improvement of Seymour Racecourse, which provides facilities to house up to 300 horses daily (Tier 2).

4.5.4. BROADFORD

The township of Broadford hosts one of the key attractions for Mitchell Shire, the Broadford State Motorcycle Sports Complex which attracts significant events for the township. Nature based assets within the township include Mt Piper, which is home to the endangered Blue Ant Butterfly, and Sunday Creek. Other recreational assets within this township include the Broadford outdoor pool, and the historic Broadford Courier, Pioneer Cottage and printing press which are key heritage attractions. A Broadford Blues Festival is also potentially launching in January of 2018.

An economic development initiative identified for the township within the EDS was promoting Broadford as a lifestyle village/town including amenity improvements.

Product gaps identified for Broadford within the DMP included:

• Noteworthy dining in the Kilmore / Broadford region. A quality bistro style food option would suit the region, particularly Broadford; and

• Accommodation in Broadford that caters for events visitors (particularly the Motorcycle track) and VFR visitors, who are a major market for the region. Accommodation to cater for this market includes self‐contained and/or motel stock.

Priority and Tier 2 projects identified as destination development opportunities within the DMP included:

• Support the expansion plans of the Broadford State Motorcycle Sports Complex (Priority);

• Promote Broadford as a motorcycle themed township (Tier 2);


• Provide medium scale self-contained accommodation in Broadford, either within the town or in proximity to the Broadford State Motorcycle Sports Complex (Tier 3); and

• Identify and promote a site to deliver a bistro-type dining establishment in Broadford. Promote extended opening hours on weekends and during key events. (Tier 3);

4.5.5. BEVERIDGE

Beveridge, along with Wallan, forms part of Melbourne’s northern growth corridor which presents opportunities for growth in retail, services and amenities to support its growing population. The township is currently home to the Beveridge Ned Kelly Residence which is a significant historic attraction for the Shire, with future potential around development of the Ned Kelly Touring Route. A $1 million grant has been provided through Heritage Victoria to secure the future of this asset, with more funding expected in the future.

Beveridge is one of 12 key townships on the Ned Kelly Touring Route, significant in it’s status as Ned Kelly’s first town. In addition to the Beveridge Ned Kelly Residence, the township also has the school attended by Ned and his siblings (Beveridge Catholic School) which was run out of a bluestone church; the pub frequented by Ned Hunters Tryst which was built in 1845 by Andrew Beveridge and still retains the original bar; and the Ned Kelly statue located outside of the Community Centre at Beveridge Reserve.

Club Mandalay is also a popular attraction for the township, including it’s 18 hole championship golf course.

4.5.6. PUCKAPUNYAL

Puckapunyal Military base in the largest employer for the Shire, and Puckapunyal is one of Australian’s largest and oldest military training areas. It is both a Defence Force facility and a small town, with on-site amenity including two banks, a primary school, Chinese takeaway, pizza, barber, cinema, general takeaway, post office, general store and petrol station. Puckapunyal acts as a major source of VFR visitors

for neighbouring areas as a large number of trainees are permanently based on site and receive weekend visitors (with visitors unable to gain access without prior clearance).

Puckapunyal is home to the Australian Army's School of Armour, School of Artillery, elements of the School of Transport, along with the Combined Arms Training and Development Centre, the Joint Logistics Unit and two transport squadrons. The township has numerous history and heritage attractions including the RAAC Memorial and Tank Museum.

4.5.7. HEATHCOTE JUNCTION & WANDONG

Heathcote Junction has limited existing product, however it is in close proximity to. Mt Disappointment and acts as a gateway to the Hume Range Parkland presenting future opportunities for nature base product development. These townships are also in close proximity to Melbourne (45-minute train ride), and currently serve as a meeting point for hunters, 4WD enthusiasts and dirt bike riders on most weekends.

The Wandong Country Music Festival is a key annual event for the Wandong township.


• Promoting Heathcote Junction as a lifestyle village/town including amenity improvements; and

• Promoting Wandong as a lifestyle village/town including amenity improvements.

4.5.8. TALLAROOK

Natural amenity and sport and recreation are key strengths of the Tallarook township with the Tallarook State Forest and the Great Victorian Rail Trail beginning in Tallarook and extending through to Mansfield. Tallarook also has an annual program of contemporary arts based at the Mechanics Institute and a successful monthly Tallarook Farmers Market.

Economic development initiatives identified for the township within the EDS included promoting Tallarook as a lifestyle village/town including amenity improvements.


Product gaps identified for Tallarook within the DMP included:

• Boutique accommodation offer in Tallarook, which can capitalise on the location at the start of the Great Victorian Rail Trail; and

• A high quality local produce or artisans store in Tallarook that capitalises on the rail trail.

Priority, Tier 2, and Tier 3 projects identified as destination development opportunities within the DMP included:

• Expansion of the rail trail to incorporate a Seymour-Tallarook (in conjunction with an Alexandra-Eildon link). Investigate further private sector opportunities which can leverage from the trail, such as accommodation and dining. (Priority);

• Support existing events, such as the Boogie Festival, and investigate the feasibility of additional annual events or a street festival for music, arts or culture (Tier 2)

• Seek to identify and promote a site in order to attract a local produce store/boutique café in the Tallarook Township. (Tier 3); and

• Provide a new B&B and/or self-contained accommodation to service high yield visitors and rail trail users. (Tier 3);

The DMP identified Tallarook as a developing ‘boutique village’ in the region, which has major potential to leverage from the opening of the Great Victorian Rail Trail.

4.5.9. TOOBOORAC PYALONG & REEDY CREEK

The township of Tooboorac, which is also part of the Heathcote wine region, is just outside of Pyalong and has the key food producers Tooborac Hotel and Brewery, McIvor Estate and Farm Foods, Mimosa Glen Homestead and Merindoc Vineyards.

These townships have a strong nature-based and outdoor recreation focus, including popular nature based scenic drives throughout the townships, ancient granite boulders in Tooborac, and fishing, golf and significant scenery in Pyalong. Pyalong also has a heritage focus including historic infrastructure such as the Pyalong trestle bridges.


5. TOURISM AND VISITOR SECTOR BUSINESS REVIEW

5.1. INTRODUCTION

Urban Enterprise conducted a review of the existing tourism and visitor sector businesses in Mitchell Shire through accessing existing data sources (such as the Australian Business Register Data), survey consultation and supplementary desktop research to gain an understanding of the following:

• Number and type of tourism related businesses in the Shire;

• Employee and volunteer numbers in the tourism sector;

• Promotional tools currently used by operators; and

• Type and quality of product on offer including visitor perceptions.

5.2. KEY FINDINGS

An audit and analysis of businesses in Mitchell Shire shows that there are around 202 businesses servicing the visitor economy. Many of these are food and beverage businesses which predominantly focus on servicing the residential population.

A survey of tourism businesses in Mitchell Shire shows that businesses agreed that there was a lack of tourism product in Mitchell Shire, specifically accommodation, farm gate and local produce businesses.

Overall whilst there are many food and beverage businesses in Mitchell Shire, very few could be considered as destination food and beverage businesses. Successful examples include Source Dining (formerly Annie Smithers Bistrot) in Kyneton, Brae in Birregurra, Du Fermier in Trentham, Royal Mail in Dunkeld, and the Lake House in Daylesford, many of which have also acted as catalysts in attracting other successful businesses to their respective regions.

5.3. BUSINESS AUDIT

The business audit identified approximately 202 tourism related businesses operating within Mitchell Shire, many of which predominantly service the local population. These businesses included accommodation and food services; retail trade; administration and support services; arts and recreation services; rental, hiring and real estate services; and transport, postal and warehousing (see Appendix A for category classification outline). Figure 29 shows the number of tourism related businesses by suburb location. Figure 30 is a spatial representation of tourism related businesses by type and location. The following pages provide a further breakdown by sub-sector; across the Shire.

FIGURE 29 NUMBER OF TOURISM RELATED BUSINESSES BY LOCATION

48

36 35

25

10 8 8 6 6 4 3 3 3 25

0

10

20

30

40

50

60


FIGURE 30 TOURISM RELATED BUSINESSES BY TYPE AND LOCATION


5.3.1. ACCOMMODATION AND FOOD SERVICES

There are approximately 102 accommodation and food services businesses in Mitchell Shire, 33 of which are accommodation providers and 69 food and beverage businesses6. Figure 31 shows the number of accommodation and food services businesses by suburb location. Figure 32 is a spatial representation of accommodation and food services businesses by location.

FIGURE 31 NUMBER OF ACCOMMODATION AND FOOD SERVICES BUSINESSES BY LOCATION

6 Some businesses provided both accommodation and food and beverage options, these businesses were included in the accommodation category unless they had two ABNs (in the ABR database) in which case they were included in both categories.

FIGURE 32 ACCOMMODATION AND FOOD SERVICES

33

16

129

6 5 5 42 2 2 2

4

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35


Food and beverage businesses within the Shire were broken into the following ANZSIC classes (Figure 33):

• Class 4511 - Cafes and restaurants – 41 businesses;

• Class 4520 - Pubs, Taverns and Bars – 13 businesses;

• Class 4512 - Takeaway food services – 14 businesses; and

• Class 4530 - Clubs (Hospitality) – 1 business. Whilst there was a mix of accommodation and food and beverage providers in the key townships of Seymour, Kilmore and Broadford, there was no identified accommodation providers in Wallan.

FIGURE 33 ACCOMMODATION AND FOOD SERVICES BUSINESSES


Table 18 below lists the identified commercial accommodation providers by location.

TABLE 18 COMMERCIAL ACCOMMODATION PROVIDERS

ACCOMMODATION PROVIDER LOCATION Auto Lodge Motor Inn Seymour Big 4 Seymour Holiday Park (formerly Goulburn River Holiday Park) Seymour Bindley House B&B Cottages Kilmore Bluetongue Berries Farmstay Seymour Clyde Cottage B&B Trawool Comfort Inn Coach and Bushman's Inn Seymour Comfort Inn Trawool Trawool Daisyburn Homestead Glenaroua Highlands Caravan Park Seymour Kilmore Caravan Park Kilmore Merindoc Cottage Tooborac Merlin Park B&B Kilmore east Mimosa Glen Tooborac Ned Kelly`s Guest House Beveridge New Crossing Place Motel Seymour Rowanstan on the Track Winery Glenhope Royal Hotel Seymour Seymour Saratoga Lodge Seymour Schoolhouse Bed and Breakfast Trawool Seven Hills Country Retreat and Farmstay Trawool Seymour Motel Seymour Sugarloaf Motel Broadford Sunnyvale Farmhouse Tallarook Tallarook Hotel Tallarook The Trawool Resort Trawool Tooborac Hotel Tooborac Trawool Cottages and Farmstay Trawool Wandong Australiana Caravan Park Seymour Wattle Motel Seymour


5.3.2. RETAIL TRADE

There are a total of 60 retail trade businesses identified in Mitchell Shire, including 29 food retailing, five fuel retailing, and 26 other store based retailing businesses. Figure 34 shows the number of retail trade businesses by suburb location. Figure 35 is a spatial representation of retail trade businesses by location.

FIGURE 34 NUMBER OF RETAIL TRADE BUSINESSES BY LOCATION

FIGURE 35 RETAIL TRADE

16

1211

9

2 2 2 2

4

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

16

18

Wallan Kilmore Seymour Broadford Beveridge KilmoreEast

Tallarook Tooborac Other


5.3.3. RENTAL, HIRING AND REAL ESTATE SERVICES

There are 13 rental, hiring and real estate services businesses identified in Mitchell Shire, all of which are Residential Property Operators (Class 67110).

Figure 36 shows the number of retail trade businesses by suburb location. Figure 37 is a spatial representation of retail trade businesses by location.

FIGURE 36 NUMBER OF RENTAL, HIRING AND REAL ESTATE SERVICES BY LOCATION

FIGURE 37 RENTAL, HIRING AND REAL ESTATE SERVICES

5

2

1 1 1 1 1 1

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

Broadford KILMORE Clobinane KilmoreEast

Seymour Tallarook Tooborac WhiteheadsCreek


5.3.4. ARTS AND RECREATION SERVICES

There are a total of 22 arts and recreation services businesses identified in Mitchell Shire, 18 of these businesses are sports and recreation activities, and four are creative and performing arts activities.

Figure 38 shows the number of art and recreation services by suburb location, with Kilmore having the largest number of arts and recreation services, comprising of four sports and recreation businesses and three creative and performing arts activities. Figure 39 is a spatial representation of art and recreation businesses by location.

FIGURE 38 NUMBER OF ART AND RECREATION SERVICES BY LOCATION

FIGURE 39 ARTS AND RECREATION

7

3 3

2

1 1 1 1 1 1 1

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8


5.3.5. ADMINISTRATION/SUPPORT & TRANSPORT SERVICES

There are three administration and support services and two transport services businesses identified in Mitchell Shire (Figure 40).

5.3.6. KEY BUSINESS TOWNSHIPS

Seymour, Wallan, Kilmore, and Broadford are identified as the key tourism business nodes within Mitchell Shire, comprising 71% of all businesses within the Shire.

Seymour is the primary destination in regard to tourism business offering with 48 businesses identified (24% of total businesses). The township comprises the largest share of accommodation venues (36%), and food businesses (30%); and also has 18% of retail trade. This includes a high number of supermarkets relative to the township population with two Coles Supermarkets, Woolworths, Aldi and two IGAs.

Wallan comprises the second largest share of all tourism businesses in the shire at 18% (36 businesses), with the businesses identified primarily supporting the township’s role as the largest residential centre. This included 27% of retail trade and 23% of food businesses located in the township, but no accommodation venues identified.

Kilmore comprises the third largest share of tourism businesses in the Shire, however it has a broader product profile, with 32% of arts and recreation services, 20% of retail trade, and 15% of rental hiring and real estate services located in the township. However it contains only 12% of accommodation businesses, and 13% of food businesses.

Broadford has a smaller profile of businesses overall (12%) but contained the largest share of rental and hiring services (38%) and 15% of retail trade.

Figure 41 overleaf shows the spatial distribution of businesses by major type within each of these four townships.

FIGURE 40 TRANSPORT


FIGURE 41 KEY TOWNSHIPS


5.4. ONLINE TOURIST AND VISITOR PERCEPTIONS

Urban Enterprise conducted a desktop review of online tourist and visitor perceptions of the key tourism business types in the region, food and beverage and accommodation operators. This included review of popular visitor product review site TripAdvisor, restaurant review site Zomato (formerly Urbanspoon); and Google search reviews, the results of which are summarised in Table 21 overleaf.

A review of Mitchell Shire’s Instagram presence was also conducted.

5.4.1. INSTAGRAM

Table 19 outlines the social presence characteristics of the limited food service businesses in Mitchell Shire which were identified during a surface level review of Instagram. These characteristics are indicative of a low level of industry engagement with the popular social platform, with a few exceptions which are primarily newer businesses to the Shire.

TABLE 19 MITCHELL FOOD SERVICES BUSINESSES INSTAGRAM PRESENCE

BUSINESS LOCATION POSTS FOLLOWERS FOLLOWINGS LIKES COMMENTS Indulge Coffee and Cakes Wallan 24 136 105 236 11

Pretty Sally Wallan 42 49 16 126 0 The Brewers Table Seymour 60 398 466 704 18

Bravegoose Vineyard Seymour 102 442 1335 1k+ 34

Bluetongue Berries Seymour 256 563 932 626 21

Kilmore Trackside

Kilmore 26 116 136 289 11

Sweetal Desserts Kilmore 69 686 372 603 39 Kilmore Toyota Cafe Kilmore 23 82 75 292 15

Hock the Ruby Tallarook 0 10 1 0 0 The Winery Kitchen Seymour 89 196 88 626 16

Tooborac Beer (Tooborac Hotel and Brewery)

Tooborac 80 817 709 1k+ 30

McIvor Farm Foods Tooborac 79 624 109 1k+ 33

Tallarook Farmers Market

Tallarook 185 514 906 300 7

Source: Instagram, 2017 and Picbear, 2017.

Although having no posts, Hock the Ruby (as well as other businesses including Kilmore Trackside) were linked to customer Instagram posts through the use of hashtags. Additionally, Mitchell businesses location tagged included Winery Kitchen, Café 96, Old Post Office, Royal Hotel, Brewers Table, Macs Irish Pub and Bistro, and Penny’s Restaurant Kilmore.

Other key tourism related business/organisation users identified during the review included the recently developed Explore Seymour which in addition to having an Instagram presence also has a Facebook page and website, and Tallarook Farmers Market (Table 20). Two additional recreation/health and beauty businesses were also identified which showed relatively high levels of engagement, Totally Fit Gym (Wallan), and Envied Beauty (Broadford) which demonstrates a higher level of community engagement through social media is achievable for businesses within the Shire.

TABLE 20 MITCHELL OTHER BUSINESSES INSTAGRAM PRESENCE

BUSINESS LOCATION POSTS FOLLOWERS FOLLOWINGS LIKES COMMENTS Explore Seymour Seymour 35 179 107 1k+ 53 Totally Fit Gym Wallan 413 873 2593 672 33 Envied Beauty Broadford 600 1262 834 684 12

Source: Instagram, 2017 and Picbear, 2017.


TABLE 21 SOCIAL MEDIA PERCEPTION ANALYSIS

BUSINESS TYPE TOWNSHIPS BUSINESS & RATING OUT OF 5 (INCLUDING HOW MANY REVIEWS/VOTES RATING IS BASED ON) Trip Advisor Zomato Google

Food & Beverage

Seymour

TripAdvisor lists a total of 28 restaurants for Seymour, the top 5 ranked (by popularity) are:

• Royal Hotel – 4 (112 reviews);

• The Winery Kitchen – 4.5 (95 reviews);

• Brewers Table – 4 (93 reviews);

• Burger Me –4.5 (30 reviews); and

• Old Post Office Seymour Restaurant – 4.5 (68 reviews).

Zomato lists a total of 17 restaurants for Seymour, the top ranked of these are:

• The Winery Kitchen - 3.6 (104 votes /23 reviews), and

• Old Post Office Seymour, Art Gallery and Restaurant - 3.5 (44 votes/6 reviews).

Google lists a total of 20 restaurants for Seymour including fast food establishments, the top ranked (by popularity/rating) are:

• Old Post Office Seymour – 4.9 (10 reviews)

• Seymour Kebab House – 4.6 (24 reviews)

• Café 96 – 4.5 (30 reviews);

• Burger Me Seymour – 4.5 (43);

• The Brewers Table – 4.3 (54);

• Royal Hotel – 4.2 (60 reviews)

• The Winery Kitchen – 4.1 (28 reviews); and

• Seymour Emperor Restaurant – 3.4 (21 reviews).

Kilmore

A total of 17 restaurants (including fast food establishments) are listed for Kilmore, the top 5 ranked of these were:

• Rose Café – 4 (59 reviews);

• Penny’s Restaurant – 4.5 (31 reviews);

• MacNamara’s Irish Pub – 4 (73 reviews);

• Kilmore Bakery Cafe – 4.5 (21 reviews); and

• Waller’s Café – 4 (25 reviews).

10 restaurants are listed on Tomato for Kilmore, the highest ranking of these are:

• Wallder’s Café – 3.1 (36 votes/16 reviews);

• The Rose Café – 2.9 (16 votes/7 reviews); and

• Kilmore trackside – 2.9 (9 votes/3 reviews).

Google lists a total of 14 restaurants for Kilmore including fast food establishments, the top 5 ranked (by popularity/rating) are:

• Cattleya’s Restaurant – 4.4 (17 reviews);

• Penny’s Restaurant Kilmore – 4.6 (14 reviews);

• Wallder’s Café – 4.2 (12 reviews);

• Kilmore Pizza & Pasta – 4.1 (27 reviews);

• MacNamara’s Irish Pub – 4.6 (10 reviews); and

• Kilmore Palace Chinese Restaurant – 3.4 (18 reviews).

Broadford

Only six restaurants are listed on TripAdvisor for Broadford including:

• The Broadford Hotel Restaurant – 4 (21 reviews);

• Cliftons on High - 4 (19 reviews), and

• Punjabi Chill - currently has a 5 rating but this is based on only two reviews for the venue.

Zomato listed a total of 8 restaurants for Broadford, the highest ranking of which is:

• Cliftons on High - 3.0 (11 votes/13 reviews).

Google lists a total of 8 restaurants for Broadford the top 5 ranked (by popularity/rating) are:

• Punjab Chill Authentic Indian Restaurant – 4.7 (6 reviews);

• Clifton on High – 4.4 (8 reviews);

• Pizza Plus Broadford – 3.8 (4 reviews); and

• Broadford Hotel – 4.2 (36 reviews)


Wallan

There are 20 restaurants listed for Wallan on TripAdvisor, the top 5 ranked of these are:

• Wallan Wine Hub – 5 (12 reviews);

• Indulge Coffee and Cakes – 4.5 (15 reviews);

• Pretty Sally – 4 (35 reviews);

• Torng Bai Thai - 4 (25 reviews); and

• Think India – 4.5 (14 reviews).

13 businesses are listed for Wallan on Zomato, the top 5 ranked of these based on rating are:

• Delhi Grill – 3.6 out of 5 with 57 votes (31 reviews);

• Hogans Café Bar Restaurant – 3.4 out of 5 with 37 votes (11 reviews);

• Torng Bai Thai Restaurant – 3.3 (45 votes/14 reviews);

• Kebabs on High – 3.3 (28 votes/9 reviews); and

• Think India – 3.2 (15 votes/4 reviews).

Google lists a total of 20 food and beverage businesses for Wallan, including fast food establishments. The top rated are:

• Hogan’s Café & Bar Restaurant – 3.7 (53 reviews);

• Torng Bai Thai Restaurant – 4.4 (17 reviews);

• Wallan Fish & Chips – 4.2 (28 reviews);

• Pretty Sally – 3.8 (19 reviews);

• Delhi Grill – 4.2 out of 5 (26 reviews); and

• Wallan Wine Hub – no reviews.

Tallarook

TripAdvisor had only two restaurant listings for Tallarook:

• Hock the Ruby - 4.5 (45 reviews), and

• Tallarook Café and General Store - 4 (12 reviews).

Tallarook had only one business listing on Zomato:

• Hock the Ruby - 3.3 (23 votes/9 reviews).

Google provides the following for Hock the Ruby – 4.8 (6 reviews), however this does not come up when searching for ‘restaurants in Tallarook’, only by searching for ‘Hock the Ruby’ directly.

Trawool No food service businesses are listed No food service businesses are listed The Trawool Estate – 3 (9 reviews)

Tooborac

Merindoc Cellar Door & Bistro – 4.5 (27 reviews);

• Tooborac General Store – 5 (27 reviews);

• Tooborac Pie Shop – 5 (8 reviews); and

• McIvor Estate Cellar Door – 4.5 (6 reviews)

No food service businesses are listed

Only one restaurant listed, Tooborac Hotel and Brewery – 4.5 (50 reviews).

Beveridge

Three venues are listed for Beveridge:

• Club Mandalay - 4 (19 reviews),

• Beveridge Tavern - 3.5 out of 5 (14 reviews), and

• The Hunters Tryst which is not rated and currently has no reviews.

There are two businesses listed for Beveridge on Zomato:

• Club Mandalay - 2.9 (6 votes/3 reviews), and

• Beveridge Tavern - 2.8 (5 votes/no reviews).

Three businesses are listed for Beveridge:

• Club Mandalay – 4.3 (44 reviews)

• Beveridge Tavern – 4.2 (6 reviews); and

• The Hunters Tryst – 4.6 (12 reviews).


Puckapunyal No food service businesses are listed on TripAdvisor for Puckapunyal.

Puckapunyal had only one business listing on Zomato: Puckapunyal Pizza & Pasta - 3.1 (14 votes/3 reviews).

Only one business was listed for Puckapunyal:

• Puckapunyal Pizza & Pasta – 4 (30 reviews).

Other townships

No food service businesses are listed on TripAdvisor for the townships of Wandong, Reedy Creek, Pyalong, or Heathcote Junction.

No food service businesses are listed for the townships of Wandong, Reedy Creek, Pyalong, or Heathcote Junction.

Additionally, Avenel had one business, Bank Street Wood Fired Pizza and Gardens rated 4.8 (272 votes/50 reviews), although this is located just outside Mitchell Shires’ boundary in Strathbogie Shire.

Three venues were listed for Wandong:

• TAB Magpie & Stump – 3.2 (29 reviews);

• Dundees – 3.0 (2 reviews); and

• Wandong Pizza & Pasta- no reviews.

Accommodation

Seymour

A total of 10 accommodation properties are listed for Seymour, including four hotels; one B&B/Inn; two holiday rentals; and two other accommodation properties, these are ranked as follows:

• Comfort Inn Coach & Bushmans – 4.5 (89 reviews);

• New Crossing Place Motel - 4.5 (97 reviews)

• Wattle Motel – 4 (33 reviews);

• Seymour Motel – 3.5 (49 reviews);

• Saratoga Lodge – 3 (3 reviews);

• Trawool Cottages – 4.5 (3 reviews);

• Goulburn River Tourist Park (now Big4) – 4 (42 reviews);

• Highlands Caravan Park – 4 (8 reviews); and

• Auto Lodge Motor Inn – 3 (11 reviews).

N/A

A total of 16 venues were listed, thehighest rated of these were:

• Seymour Motel – 4.1 (26 reviews);

• Comfort Inn Coach & Bushmans – 4.4 (8 reviews);

• Wattle Motel – 4.4 (16 reviews);

• New Crossing Place Motel – 4.3 (22 reviews);

• Royal Hotel – 4.2 (60 reviews) and

• Big4 Seymour Holiday Park – 4.1 (34 reviews).

Kilmore

A total of four accommodation properties are listed for Kilmore, including two B&B/Inns; and two other accommodation properties, these are ranked as follows:

• Bindley House B&B Cottages – 5 (4 reviews);

N/A

Nine venues were listed for Kilmore, the top rated of which were:

• Kilmore Motel – 3.8 (4 reviews) (no longer open);

• Woodbury Estate Kilmore – 5 (1 review);

• Kestrel Motor Inn – 2.1 (7 reviews);

• Bindley House B&B Cottages – 5 (3 reviews)


• Kilmore Motel – 4 (17 reviews)- although this Motel is no longer in business);

• Kilmore Caravan Park – 3.5 (34 reviews); and

• Kestrel Motor Inn – 4 (1 review).

• Royal Oak Hotel – 3.3 (18 reviews); and

• Kilmore Trackside – 2.4 (7 reviews).

Broadford

A total of seven accommodation properties are listed for Broadford, including one B & B/Inns; and one holiday rental property, these are ranked as follows:

• Sugarloaf Motel – 4.5 (28 reviews); and

• Luxury self-contained accommodation – 4.5 (3 reviews).

N/A

Five venues are listed for Broadford

• Boradford Hotel – 4.2 (36 reviews;

• Sugarloaf Motel – 4.3 (25 reviews);

• Broadford Apartments – 5 (2 reviews);

• The Parrindi Bed & Breakfast – 1 (1 review); and

• Flowerdale Estate – 4.6 (38 reviews).

Wallan No accommodation venues were listed for Wallan. N/A

Only two venues are listed for Wallan:

• Hogans Motel – 3.4 (23 reviews); and

• Rattlers Hotel – 3.8 (22 reviews).

Tallarook

Tallarook has one B&B/Inn and two holiday rental properties, ranked as follows:

• Seven Hills Tallarook Homestead – 3.5 (4 reviews)

• Tallarook Farm Stay Cottage – 2 (2 reviews); and

• Seven Hills Farm Stay – no ranking.

N/A

A total of four venues are listed for Tallarook:

• Tallarook Hotel – 4.4 (15 reviews);

• Lyndale Park – 4.3 (3 reviews);

• Tallarook kangaroo sanctuary B&B – 5 (3 reviews); and

• Seven Hills Tallarook – 4.5 (2 reviews).

Trawool

Three accommodation businesses are listed for Trawool on Tripadvisor and one holiday rental, the top listing is:

• Comfort Inn Trawool – 2.5 (73 reviews).

N/A

Of the six venues listed only the following four were rated:

• Trawool Cottages and Farmstay – 4.3 (3 reviews)

• The Trawool Estate – 3 (9 reviews)

• Bushhideouts – 5 (4 reviews);

• Trawool Wildlife Reserve Campground – 4.5 (4 reviews).

Tooborac One specialty lodging accommodation business is listed for Tooborac:

• Tooborac Hotel & Brewery – 4 (76 reviews).

N/A

Three venues are listed:

• Tooborac Hotel and Brewery – 4.5 (50 reviews) based from restaurant reviews;

• Mimosa Glen Homestead – 5 (1 review); and

• Merindoc Cottage – no rating or reviews.


Beveridge Beveridge only has one property listed, New Kelly’s Guesthouse, which is currently unrated with no reviews.

N/A No accommodation listed.

Puckapunyal No accommodation businesses are listed for Puckapunyal.

N/A No accommodation listed.

Other townships

No accommodation businesses are listed on TripAdvisor for the townships of Wandong, Reedy Creek, Pyalong, or Heathcote Junction.

N/A

One venue listed each was listed for Wandong and Pyalong, as follows:

• Wandong Australiana Motel Tavern – 5 (2 reviews); and

• Pyalong Hotel – 3.5 (2 reviews).

Source: Trip Advisor, August 2017; Google, August 2017; and Zomato, August 2017


5.5. BUSINESS SURVEY

Urban Enterprise conducted an online business survey which was distributed to targeted tourism stakeholders and advertised on the Mitchell Shire Council Website and social media.

The survey attracted responses from 22 businesses, including accommodation, event, restaurant, attraction, local produce, tour and activity, winery, cafe/bakery/takeaway, and golf businesses. Eight of these businesses indicated their business currently serves more than one function. The majority of businesses (77%) owned their business premises

Figure 42 shows the length of operation by number of businesses and shows that the highest number of businesses (7) had been in operation for five years or less.

On average businesses employed 11.7 employees, with the average per employee type shown in Figure 43. In total, the 22 businesses employed 257 employees.

FIGURE 42 LENGTH OF OPERATION BY NUMBER OF BUSINESSES

FIGURE 43 AVERAGE NUMBER OF EMPLOYEES BY EMPLOYEE TYPE

The majority of businesses (55%) indicated that they did not have difficulty finding suitably qualified staff to work in their business. The majority (55%) indicated there were skills lacking in their current business. Top responses for skills that were lacking included chefs and cooks (4 businesses), café and restaurant managers (3 businesses), and marketing (3 businesses). 7

5

1

3

1

2

3

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

5 years andunder

6-10 years 11-15 years 16-20 years 21-25 years 26-50 years Over 50years

Series1

3.5

2.6

4.6

0.9

0.0

0.5

1.0

1.5

2.0

2.5

3.0

3.5

4.0

4.5

5.0

Full Time (permanent,38+ hours per week)

Part Time (permanent,less than 38 hours per

week)

Casual Volunteer

Average Number of Employees


5.5.1. CONSUMER MARKETS

Whilst the proportion of local, Melbourne and regional Victoria customers varied greatly by business, the vast majority of businesses indicated that the number of customers to their business from states other than Victoria (including International) was very low, comprising predominantly around 0-10% of total customers.

Overall, from the 19 businesses who provided a response to this question, the majority identified customer numbers had either remained the same or increased across the past 5 years, with 68% of businesses identifying customer numbers from Melbourne had grown, and over half (58%) identifying customer numbers from regional Victoria had grown (Figure 44).

FIGURE 44 CUSTOMER GROWTH BY MARKET OVER THE PAST 5 YEARS BY PROPORTION OF BUSINESSES

Of these business, the majority also predicted customer numbers to remain the same or increase for most markets in the next 5 years, with 68% of businesses predicting growth from Melbourne and local residents, and 58% from regional Victoria (Figure 45).

FIGURE 45 PREDICTED CUSTOMER GROWTH BY MARKET OVER THE NEXT 5 YEARS BY PROPORTION OF BUSINESSES

18%

23%

18%

0%

0%

5%

9%

5%

9%

5%

5%

14%

32%

32%

36%

32%

23%

36%

32%

32%

26%

58%

68%

37%

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80%

International

Other state or territory

NSW

Regional Victoria

Melbourne

Local residents

Increased Remained the same Decreased N/A or did not provide a response

16%

26%

16%

0%

5%

0%

11%

11%

16%

16%

5%

5%

32%

32%

32%

26%

21%

26%

42%

32%

37%

58%

68%

68%

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80%

International

Other state or territory

NSW

Regional Victoria

Melbourne

Local residents

Increase Remained the same Decrease N/A or did not provide a response


Businesses were asked to rank the importance of seven visitor types to the Mitchell Shire region (with one being the most important). Food and wine visitors were identified most frequently as the most important, with five businesses ranking them number one, and three businesses ranking them number two; however they were also ranked 6th most important by five businesses. ‘Other’ visitors were clearly identified as the least important of the seven options given (Figure 46).

FIGURE 46 VISITOR TYPE RANKED BY IMPORTANCE BY NUMBER OF RESPONSES

5.5.2. PRODUCT AND DEVELOPMENT ASSESSMENT

ACCOMMODATION

Businesses surveyed indicated that the majority of accommodation types in Mitchell Shire were primarily under-supplied, particularly luxury hotel/resorts which were identified as under-supplied by 68% of businesses surveyed. Only caravan

park/commercial camping ground was identified as over-supplied, and only by 5% of survey respondents (Figure 47).

FIGURE 47 OPINION OF EXISTING SUPPLY AND DEMAND OF ACCOMMODATION TYPE BY PROPORTION OF RESPONDENTS

3 4 52 3 2

33

3

1 5

3

1

5 3 1

3

34

2 5

4

6

2

1

2

5 2

2

5

2

3

15

4

2 3

1

2 13

1 1

11

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

16

18

20

Businessvisitors

Families Food andwine

Grey nomads Visitingfriends and

relatives

Youngsingles

Other

1 - Most Important 2 3 4 5 6 7 - Least Important

5%

21%

5%

5%

21%

47%

21%

47%

42%

42%

47%

37%

68%

5%

58%

26%

37%

32%

53%

5%

42%

11%

32%

26%

16%

21%

11%

11%

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

Rented house/apartment/unit/holiday flat (notserviced on a daily basis)

Caravan park or commercial camping ground

Backpacker/visitor hostel

Farmstays

Guest house/B&B

Serviced apartment, self contained unit, cottage

Standard hotel/motel (3 to 3.5 star)

Luxury hotel/resort (4 or 5 star)

No demand Under-supplied Meeting existing demand Over-supplied No opinion


DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITIES & INITIATIVES

Businesses surveyed identified the development of farm gate, local produce and cellar doors as the tourism experience which could provide the greatest benefit for Mitchell Shire if developed, followed by events; history and heritage attractions; and mountain bike trails, rail trails and other (Figure 48).

FIGURE 48 TOURISM EXPERIENCE DEVELOPMENT RANKED BY POTENTIAL BENEFIT (1= GREATEST BENEFIT)

Development of online presence and marketing was clearly identified as the top priority industry development initiative for the Shire, followed by skill development and investment and financing (Figure 49). Business skills and development was identified as the lowest priority initiative for the Shire.

FIGURE 49 LEVEL OF IMPORTANCE OF INDUSTRY DEVELOPMENT INITIATIVES BY NUMBER OF RESPONSES (1=MOST IMPORTANT)

2

2

3

7

2

1

2

1

3

2

3

3

5

1

1

5

1

2

2

3

3

1

1

1

1

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3

1

3

1

2

2

2

2

2

1

1

2

2

6

1

0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16

Adventure sports

Agricultural attractions and equine

Arts and galleries

Conferences

Events

Farm gate, local produce and cellar doors

Fine dining

History and heritage attractions

Mountain bike trails, rail trails and other…

Shopping

Spa/wellness

Walking trails

Water based activities (e.g. boating,…

1 2 3 4 5

8

3

7

1

3

9

5

2

2

4 4

5

4

5

21

4

7

1 12

78

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

16

18

20

Skill development Investment andfinancing

Online presenceand marketing

Culturalawareness

Business skillsdevelopment

1 2 3 4 5


5.5.3. MARKETING AND PROMOTION

The majority of businesses (90%) have their own website, however only around half (55%) of these websites have an online booking service.

The most common forms of marketing undertaken by businesses were through social media (75%) and business websites (70%), followed by brochures in a Visitor Information Centre (60%) (Figure 50).

FIGURE 50 FORMS OF MARKETING UNDERTAKEN IN THE 2016/17 FINANCIAL YEAR (%)

Facebook was the most popular online platform used by businesses (Figure 51), with 18 businesses (90%) using Facebook to market and promote their business, followed by nine who used Instagram (45%) and eight who used Google maps (40%).

FIGURE 51 USE OF ONLINE PLATFORMS TO MARKET AND PROMOTE (%)

A number of key issues and challenges facing the Shire, as well as opportunities for future development, were also identified by businesses during the survey.

Key identified issues included:

• Inability to meet peak demand due to lack of bed spaces; and

• Public transport accessibility

Key needs identified by respondents included:

• Public transport link between Wallan Station and Whittlesea bus service; • Clean up and improve the appeal of towns;

• Better signage and tree plantings;

• Better facilities for tourists (i.e. tourist information required now that Kilmore library no longer serves this purpose);

• Better internet marketing (e.g. Facebook, Kilmore history app etc.) to encourage tourism

• Access to funding to develop local product; and • Make planning and building easier to process.

75%70%

60%

45%40%

35% 35% 35%30% 30%

10%5%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

45%40%

35%

20% 20%

10% 10%5% 5% 5%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%


Opportunities identified by respondents included:

• Increasing the market for weddings (more venues needed) as an opportunity to attract young couples;

• Targeting Melbourne to encourage visitors to come for the weekend • Focus on towns strengths (e.g. heritage and lovely countryside); • Organising more events to attract more visitors; and

• Better use of Goulburn River for attractions, particularly targeted towards families and young children.

Seymour ‘s lack of identity in particular was also raised, with better tourism signage; more complex social media interaction; and beautification of town entrances and exits identified as being needed.


6. TOURISM AND VISITOR SECTOR EVENTS REVIEW

6.1. INTRODUCTION

The following section provides an overview of events held in Mitchell Shire including analysis of the location, type and seasonality of events, as well as an overview of the facilities and venues used to host them.

6.2. KEY FINDINGS

An audit of events in Mitchell Shire, shows that a number of townships regularly host family and lifestyle and sporting events.

Historically, events in Mitchell Shire have largely been driven by the local community and clubs.

There are a number of leading venues such as the Broadford State Motorcycle Sports Complex, Kilmore Race Track and Seymour Racecourse; as well as various other parkland and sporting facilities including Kings Park (Seymour), and Hadfield Park (Wallan) which host the highest number of events in the region.

Further focus on the development and support for events by Mitchell Shire should be considered as an opportunity to grow the visitor economy, particularly where supporting accommodation and infrastructure already exist.

6.3. EVENTS AUDIT

Urban Enterprise undertook an audit of tourism and visitor sector events conducted in Mitchell Shire based on the 2016/17 financial year. A total of 68 events were identified, as well as a number of community programs, workshops and country race days. A profile of these events is provided below. `

6.3.1. LOCATION

Seymour and Wallan were the primary locations for events in the Shire, holding 22 and 14 events respectively over the period, followed by Kilmore (11 events) and Broadford (7 events) (Figure 52). Six events were identified as ‘Shire wide’ events, held across multiple locations within the Shire.

FIGURE 52 EVENTS BY LOCATION

Source: Mitchell Shire Council and desktop research, compiled by Urban Enterprise 2017.

7

1

11

1

22

31

14

2

6

0

5

10

15

20

25

Number of events


6.3.2. TYPOLOGY

Events in Mitchell Shire have been categorised into the following for analysis purposes:

• Arts & Culture – including art exhibitions and cultural festivals;

• Family & Lifestyle – including events targeting families, larger scale festivals and agricultural shows;

• Food & Wine – including food festivals;

• Music – including music festivals across various music genres;

• Sport & Outdoor Recreation – including various participatory events and fundraisers; and

• Sporting Expo or Show – including various spectator sporting events, expos and shows including premier equine events.

The highest proportion of events held Mitchell Shire are family and lifestyle events (22 events), followed by market/swap meet/craft fair events (13 events). Only five food and beverage and four music events were recorded for the Shire (Figure 53).

FIGURE 53 EVENTS BY TYPE


6.3.3. SEASONALITY & LENGTH

The highest number of events in Mitchell Shire are held in March (19 events), and April (17 events) coinciding with the Easter break, and October (15 events). The winter months of July and August hold the lowest number of events (7 events each) (Figure 54).

5

22

5

13

4

8

11

0

5

10

15

20

25

Arts &culture

Family &lifestyle

Food &beverage

Market/swapmeet/craft

fair

Music Sport &outdoor

recreation

Sportingexpo or show

Number of events


FIGURE 54 EVENTS BY MONTH

Source: Mitchell Shire Council and desktop research, compiled by Urban Enterprise 2017. Note there are more than 68 events recorded in Figure 48 as a number of events are held over multiple months and have been recorded separately for each month in which they occur.

The majority of events held in Mitchell Shire are single day events (53 events or 78%) (Figure 55).

FIGURE 55 EVENT LENGTH


6.3.4. ATTENDANCE

Of events with known attendance numbers, the majority attracted under 500 attendees (Figure 56). Five events (16%) attracted over 1000 attendees, these included the Seymour Alternative Farming Expo which attracts approximately 22,000+ attendees, as well as the Annual Boogie Festival at Pyalong; Earthcore Festival in Pyalong (which ran for the last time in 2016); Seymour Show and the Labour Day Market (Seymour).

910

19

17

89

7 7

12

1514

11

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

16

18

20

Number of events

15

53

Multiple Day

Single Day


FIGURE 56 PROPORTION OF EVENTS BY KNOWN ATTENDANCE NUMBERS


6.3.5. FACILITIES & VENUES

Events identified within the audit were held across 29 different facilities within Mitchell Shire (not including those held across various locations or on private property) as outlined in Table 22. Seymour had the highest number of event facilities (8), followed by Kilmore (6), Broadford (5) and Wallan (3). The facilities with the highest event usage were Kings Park in Seymour and Hadfield Park in Wallan which held 10 events and nine events respectively. The majority of event venues were open space recreation reserves/parks.

Facilities which held community programs and workshops included Broadford Youth Room, Broadford Skate Park, Broadford Library, Kilmore Library, Kilmore Leisure Centre, Seymour Sports and Aquatic Centre, Seymour Tennis Complex, Seymour Library, and Wallan Library.

TABLE 22 EVENT FACILITIES

FACILITY LOCATION EVENTS Anglican church Seymour 1 Apex Park Kilmore 1 Broadford Recreation Reserve Broadford 1 Bruzzy’s Farm Tallarook 2 Council Chambers Gallery Broadford 2 Goulburn Park Seymour 1 Greenhill Reserve Wallan 4 Hadfield Park Wallan 9 Hudson Park Kilmore 1 JJ Clancy Reserve Kilmore 3 Kilmore Racing Track Kilmore 2 Kilmore Trackside Kilmore 1 Kings Park Seymour 10 LB Davern Reserve Wandong 1 Broadford State Motorcycle Sports Complex Broadford 2 Old Post Office Seymour 1 Old St Patricks School Grounds Kilmore 1 Seymour Bowling Club Seymour 1 Seymour Golf Club Seymour 1 Seymour Racecourse Seymour 1 Tallarook Mechanics Institute Tallarook 1 The Common Broadford 1 The Island Reserve Broadford 2 The Old Post Office Seymour, Gallery & Licensed Restaurant Seymour 1 Tooborac Hotel Tooborac 1 Village Green Hidden Valley 1 Wallan Multi-Purpose Community Centre Wallan 2


16%

29%

13%

10%

6%

3%

6%

0%

16%

0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

30%

35%

101-200 201-300 301-400 401-500 501-600 601-700 701-800 801-900 1000+


6.3.6. EVENT ORGANISERS

In total, 33 events were either directly managed by Council or part managed by Council in conjunction with a Committee of Management. The remaining events were managed by a combination of Committees of Management; formal Associations and Societies, commercial companies, sporting clubs, and event organisers operating within the region.


APPENDICES APPENDIX A TOURISM BUSINESS CATEGORISATION

Business identified within the business audit were categorised based on adaptation of ABS 5249.0 – Australian National Accounts: Tourism Satellite Account, 2013-2014 Appendix 1 Tourism Industry Correspondence.

Categories used comprised the following ANZSIC classes:

ACCOMMODATION AND FOOD SERVICES (DIVISION H)

Subdivision 44 ACCOMMODATION

• Group 440 ACCOMMODATION

• Class 4400 Accommodation

Subdivision 45 FOOD AND BEVERAGE SERVICES

• Group 451 CAFES, RESTAURANTS AND TAKEAWAY FOOD SERVICES

• Class 4511 Cafes and Restaurants

• Class 4512 Takeaway Food Services

• Class 4513 Catering Services

• Group 451 PUBS, TAVERNS AND BARS

• Class 4520 Pubs, Taverns and Bars

• Group 453 CLUBS (HOSPITALITY)

• Class 4530 Clubs (Hospitality)

RETAIL TRADE (DIVISION G)

Subdivision 40 FUEL RETAILING

• Group 400 FUEL RETAILING

• Class 4000 Fuel Retailing

Subdivision 41 FOOD RETAILING

• Group 411 SUPERMARKET AND GROCERY STORES

• Class 4110 Supermarket and Grocery Stores

• Group 412 SPECIALISED FOOD RETAILING

• Class 4121 Fresh Meat, Fish and Poultry Retailing

• Class 4122 Fruit and Vegetable Retailing

• Class 4123 Liquor Retailing

• Class 4129 Other Specialised Food Retailing

Subdivision 42 OTHER STORE-BASED RETAILING

• Group 421 FURNITURE, FLOOR COVERINGS, HOUSEWARE AND TEXTILE GOODS RETAILING

• Class 4211 Furniture Retailing

• Class 4212 Floor Coverings Retailing

• Class 4213 Houseware Retailing

• Class 4214 Manchester and Other Textile Goods Retailing

• Group 424 RECREATIONAL GOODS RETAILING

• Class 4241 Sport and Camping Equipment Retailing

• Class 4242 Entertainment Media Retailing

• Class 4243 Toy and Game Retailing

• Class 4244 Newspaper and Book Retailing

• Class 4245 Marine Equipment Retailing

• Group 425 CLOTHING, FOOTWEAR AND PERSONAL ACCESSORY RETAILING

• Class 4251 Clothing Retailing

• Class 4252 Footwear Retailing

http://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/[email protected]/Latestproducts/06B24F275BAA2A68CA257B9500133C20?opendocument

http://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/[email protected]/Latestproducts/06B24F275BAA2A68CA257B9500133C20?opendocument


• Class 4253 Watch and Jewellery Retailing

• Class 4259 Other Personal Accessory Retailing

• Group 426 DEPARTMENT STORES

• Class 4260 Department Stores

• Group 427 PHARMACEUTICAL AND OTHER STORE-BASED RETAILING

• Class 4271 Pharmaceutical, Cosmetic and Toiletry Goods Retailing

• Class 4272 Stationery Goods Retailing

• Class 4273 Antique and Used Goods Retailing

• Class 4274 Flower Retailing

• Class 4279 Other Store-Based Retailing n.e.c.

TRANSPORT, POSTAL AND WAREHOUSING (DIVISION I)

Subdivision 46 ROAD TRANSPORT

• Group 462 ROAD PASSENGER TRANSPORT

• Class 4621 Interurban and Rural Bus Transport

• Class 4622 Urban Bus Transport (Including Tramway)

• Class 4623 Taxi and Other Road Transport

RENTAL, HIRING AND REAL ESTATE SERVICES (DIVISION L)

Subdivision 66 Rental and Hiring Services (except Real Estate)

• Group 661 MOTOR VEHICLE AND TRANSPORT EQUIPMENT RENTAL AND HIRING

• Class 6611 Passenger Car Rental and Hiring

Subdivision 67 PROPERTY OPERATORS AND REAL ESTATE SERVICES

• Group 671 PROPERTY OPERATORS

• Class 6711 Residential Property Operators

ADMINISTRATIVE AND SUPPORT SERVICES (DIVISION N)

Subdivision 72 ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES

• Group 722 Travel Agency and Tour Arrangement Services

• Class 7220 Travel Agency and Tour Arrangement Services

ARTS AND RECREATION SERVICES (DIVISION R)

Subdivision 89 HERITAGE ACTIVITIES

• Group 891 Museum Operation

• Class 8910 Museum Operation

• Group 892 Parks and Gardens Operations

• Class 8921 Zoological and Botanical Gardens Operation

• Class 8922 Nature Reserves and Conservation Parks Operation

Subdivision 90 CREATIVE AND PERFORMING ARTS ACTIVITIES

• Group 900 Creative and Performing Arts Activities

• Class 9001 Performing Arts Operation

• Class 9002 Creative Artists, Musicians, Writers and Performers

• Class 9003 Performing Arts Venue Operation

Subdivision 91 SPORTS AND RECREATION ACTIVITIES

• Group 911 Sports and Physical Recreation Activities

• Class 9112 Sports and Physical Recreation Clubs and Sports Professionals

• Class 9113 Sports and Physical Recreation Venues, Grounds and Facilities Operation

• Class 9114 Sports and Physical Recreation Administrative Service

• Group 912 Horse and Dog Racing Activities

• Class 9121 Horse and Dog Racing Administration and Track Operation

• Group 913 Amusement and Other Recreation Activities

http://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/[email protected]/Latestproducts/A7EBF6A8974B8AB7CA257B9500133B88?opendocument


• Class 9131 Amusement Parks and Centres Operation

• Class 9139 Amusement and Other Recreational Activities n.e.c.

Urban Enterprise

389 St Georges Road,

Fitzroy North, Vic, 3068

(03) 9482 3888


Documents

Mitchell Tourism and Visitor Economy Plan Baseline Research · 2019. 12. 9. · 4. existing tourism and visitor economy product 28 4.1. introduction 28 4.2. key findings 28 4.3. regional