More about fixing a bush town.

If you have roadside cafes, shopping centre, plenty of parking with enough clear space to provide safe margin from thru traffic (Like at Yarragon for example).Well maintained public conveniences are always a bonus and often hard to find in country towns these days.

Cheers Mick

Your town is already "winning" Kim and it seems to me this competition is achieving what it sets out to achieve and that is "unite communities" and help bolster every tourist dollar available to that community.

Biggest thing for me looking around a town foreign to me is easy ways to be informed of interesting points. This is done most easily by an easy to locate "Tourist Info Centre" manned or unmanned and friendly locals helping to fill in any blanks or questions I may have. Then comes a safe/nice camp area to call it quits for the night.

Hope this helps and good luck in your conniving/cheating ways to win this competition ;-))

Trevor.

mmmmmmmmmm For me it's gotta have a ripper bakery

Hi Kim,

Good luck with the competition mate. The things that impress me when I arrive in a bush town, especially since I am usually towing either the van or a camper are:

1. A clean, inviting and welcoming appearance. It's a bit hard to elaborate on that, but I'm sure you have had that "first impression" as you roll into a town.

2. A convenient dump point. Many 'vanners look for these and will go out of their way to find one and probably stop for a bite while they're in town.

3. Easy parking for a van or trailer, reasonably close to shops and facilities.

4. Public toilets. Clean ones!

5. A nice public park with a lawn, shelter and picnic tables are always an attraction to stop and have a bite or a cuppa - especially if item 3 above is nearby.

6. A well equipped Information Centre will always attract those looking for local knowledge or something special in the area.

7. and finally, a "nice to have", but not always possible, is a free, overnight parking area to cater for those that like to free camp, especially if it has a loo and perhaps even a shower. More and more towns are doing this as they can see the benefits of allowing people to stay at no cost, but reaping the rewards at the local pub and other shops. These people tend to spend the money they save on free camping, by going out for tea and doing other things.

That's all that immediately springs to mind, but hopefully some food for thought. As I say, good luck in the comp mate, I wish you and your community all the best.

Cheers
Gerry

Hi Kim

What I look for is downright honesty and value for money. With a smile ;-)

Just hate being ripped off and will NEVER go back there. Like the front bar at the Purple Pub at Normanton that charged me IIRC $4 for two small scoops of ice to put on the six pack that I had just bought from them. Hardly even covered the top.

Malcolm

Hi Kim,

One thing that I like to see is a small information board outside any building or structure of (historical) significance, regardless of whether it is privately owned or a public building.

Something along the lines of "Built in 18** , by the towns first doctor/postmaster/mayor etc , special design features or attributes (once the home of ....), cost, etc etc - you know what I mean.

If the boards were numbered the community/historical society could at a later stage do a pamphlet with a numbered "Historical Walking Track/Drive".


As I said above (for me) the building doesn't have to be anything particularly "special" as there is always something different or of interest to someone.

Such things help to keep visitors in town longer to spend more "dosh".

Good Luck with the project.

Peter

Hi.

I think part of the problem with some smaller towns is basic town planning.

For example, if a wonderful service station (or worse, an IGA or Woolies) is built away from the town centre then many visitors will never get to the town centre and everyone's effort is wasted.

Other than that, I concur with the above comments.

Cheers

Hi Kim,

There seems to be a common thread.

Parking for trailer/caravan combo's. That angle parking in country towns can be a real turn off. It's usually accompanied by a good long walk back from a suitable parking spot to the local shops.

Sign posted clean toilets, seats intact, and paper. One town even provided paper seat liner thingies and it was obvious that the toilets were checked and cleaned if necessary a number of times throughout the day.

Sign posted buildings along the lines of an above post. We spent a pleasant couple of hours wandering about the town of Hay reading the plaques and taking photographs. This has potential spin offs for the town, we left Hay with
a new waterproof jacket and a pair of shoes for the Princess.

Are there any old/peculiar/interesting items/objects in the locale? Machinery, boats, locos, old bridges whatever that may be relocated to a park adjacent the town centre and so encourage those passing through to stop in the town.

An overnight van stop, if practical is an incentive, even better if there is an early opening bakery/coffee/newspaper outlet for the breakfast trade.

We travel on a very tight budget and look to free camp where possible. When obliged overnight in a van park its self catering. When we have a free night that's twenty plus dollars we have to spend at our next stop.

Ian

G'day Kim. I take it we're talking about Tooradin here.
Sounds like an excellent project, we'll all be watching with interest mate.

Been through there many times, and the place certainly has a stack of natural atractions, and oportunities for further development with progressive minded comittees such as yours obviously is.

Some great comments already made above, probably the thoughts of most of us. Someone mentioned free camping facilities close to or in town. This reminded me of a little place in Qld we went through in May this year, between Cunnamulla and Charleville, may have been Wyandra, I'm sure someone will know. Not much there, the usual pub, servo/takeaway and a few railway houses. However, opposite the "CBD" LOL LOL, there was a huge grassed common, signposted and encouraging "Free Camping". It's in my black book as a camp spot for future travels

It's a great part of the world, and the highway does get very busy, especially in peak times, and you're competing with a lot of attractions not that far up the road, so I think an inviting overnight free camping area would get a fair bit of attention. Didn't they have an annual Tractor Pull Challenge/Mud Racing event down there somewhere.

Good luck with it all.

Fred.

Don't forget a laundomat.!!!!

Maybe even get a list together of locals who are prepared to act as guides/hosts etc. When we lived in Rural SA, we often let people from our affiliated clubs park their vans in our yard. Some would be just for an over-nighter (we'd supply them power, use of toilet/shower and laundry facilities), others would drop their vans off for a few days while they went off hiking or roughing it.

We actually struck up some long standing friendships with some of these people whom we still keep in contact with today. They would stay in our yard when in our town and we would stay in their yard when we went to their city.

Gday Kim,
I could just film 2.00 opening at the Todd Tavern Bottlo........
Always plenty of action there!

LOL

Cheers

For me it is the availability of clean water. I don't care if I have to pay for it, I just want it.

The only place I have found that meets this need is Coober Pedy, last time I was there it had a bowser type hose that delivered 20 litres for about $0.20.

Michael

After reading this, it appears as if people want small towns to become free caravan parks!

Thank you all for your comments, very interesting.

In answer to a few questions:

1. Tooradin in every sense is a bush town. Whilst it may not seem evident to the casual visitor, there is a tremendous community spirit which you would be hard placed to find in a metropolitan area. Our greatest asset is our friendliness to visitors.

2. I fully understand why travellers seek free camping, and this may be something the committee should consider in the future. However, there are many regulations to deal with, particularly on Crown land. We’re also looking at future tourism accommodation.

3. The signage and branding in Tooradin is inadequate, and this is a key priory at the moment. Very expensive, but we’ll get there eventually.

So, many thanks for your valuable input and be assured this post will be passed onto the committee.

PS Drop in on your way through and mention my name (Kim McFarland) for a 10% discount. You’ll cop one of three responses:

· Yes he’s a wonderful fella.

· Who? Never heard of him

· That git. Woudnt give him the time of day'

LOL

Regards

Kim

Gidday Fred

Yes there is,
but nothing as fancy as your bush camp in NSW. LOL

I’ll send you a MM.

Regards

Kim

somehow stock the tidal 'lake' with some fish! :)

forgot what I really meant to say...

make sure your bakery sells donuts! Surprising how many bakeries I've come across that don't sell something kids (and their Dad!) like.

When you first posted this topic a few weeks ago, the example of Yarragon immediately came to mind.

Before the alterations were made to the town; it was a dump! (I say this having lived the first years of my life there)

Personally, I think that Yarragon’s success has a lot to do with the fact that it is the first town east of Melbourne where you can stop safely, and the last for at least another hour before you can stop again. It also has a number of shops you might want to stop to visit or make the stop worthwhile.

Like Tooradin, it is the magical hour’s drive from Melbourne, so the perfect place to stop for morning or afternoon tea. Heading east, you have to go to at least Traralgon or even Sale before you can stop again (I used to do monthly trips to Bairnsdale for 15 years; once you got to Traralgon, you may as well keep on driving)

The problem with Tooradin is that a lot of the passing trade is heading down to Phillip Island and you have to convince travellers that a stop of 10 minutes is not going to keep the beach/ penguins waiting.

Obviously; safe convenient parking is a major attraction for the 10 minute stop. A safe area for the kids to stretch their legs and a shop that is renowned for food or specialist goods/service helps

Somehow you need to alert tourists to the fact that Tooradin is part of the family day out. The tourists need something to alert them to what the area has to offer as part as part of their day out or weekend away.

The fishing/watersports might attract some people, but they would go there anyway. As it stands, Tooradin is a town you stop at to get something to tide you over before you get to Cowes.

Yarragon has the Food Trail, and is the entrance to the Stezlecki’s or the Baw Baw/Walhalla regions…how do you plug Tooradin?

Hi,
Two of our local towns.

Oatlands:
Small central highlands town, now by passed by the highway, lots of Georgian sandstone buildings, 2 pubs, and the usual run of coffee and craft shops.

The lake is close to town, so a level parking area with a tap has been provided for motorhomes to stay over night.
Free!
Guess where they go for the evening, yep, walk into town and spend money.
Take the good lady out to dinner while they are parked for the night within walking distance.
Who wouldn't?


Westbury:
Small country town, several hotels, few restaurants, supermarkets and a bakery.

The local bakery put in overnight parking for motor homes and a toilet block right next to the bakery.
Free!
Viitors either partake of bakery wares or walk further into town and buy a meal and other requirements as needed or as the whim takes them.
Fuel will also be purchased before heading out onto the highway.
I'm not sure what the return on investment is for the towns involved but I doubt it is a $ loss.

cheers