Warburton Mountain Bike project, RidgeWalk to help tourism recovery in Yarra Ranges
Thousands of fitness fanatics have flocked from across Melbourne to visit the 1000 Steps following the ease in restrictions — and now, there are two more big attractions in the pipeline expected to draw tourists to the Yarra Ranges in droves.
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A spectacular new walk through the Dandenong Ranges and the Warburton Mountain Bike Trail Destination project are expected to draw more tourists back to the Yarra Ranges after the coronavirus lockdown.
Visitors flocked back to the area to exercise last week, with more than 10,000 people visiting the 1000 Steps.
Yarra Ranges Tourism chief executive Simon O’Callaghan said it showed how desperate people were to experience nature and get outdoors, which was what the region was so well-known for.
“We saw that over the weekend and by and large reports were it was managed well and
people were still abiding by social distancing,” he said.
“There is still a natural tension from the local community about accepting that change again about how we reopen our community and businesses, but it’s just crucially important for local employment.”
Mr O’Callaghan said tourism had been the most affected sector during the coronavirus lockdown, and predicted the industry would need State Government support for the next three years as it tried to recover.
He said as well as Puffing Billy and Healesville Sanctuary, he wanted the Government to support new projects like the RidgeWalk, a large scale art experience walk through the Dandenong Ranges; the Warburton Mountain Bike Destination project, a plan to build a world-class mountain biking hub in the town; and the Yarra Valley Trail, a 40km trail to link Lilydale, Yarra Glen, Healesville and join into the Lilydale to Warburton Rail Trail.
Mr O’Callaghan said the more certainty the sector could get from the Government regarding the reopening plan for businesses, the better.
“Tourism was the first to shut down and will be the last industry to return,” he said.
“The tourism industry has been decimated through no fault of its own.
“What the industry needs is some clear communication around its opportunities to reopen under the various stages of the business restrictions and social distancing restrictions that government through the Chief Health Officer are putting on the community.”
Mr O’Callaghan said a lot of businesses would not be able to keep themselves afloat through this period, and the types of restrictions introduced may mean it would not be viable for some businesses to reopen.
“For instance if you can only have 20 people in your cafe and it’s a 300-seat cafe or 150-seat cafe it makes it very difficult for you to meet your costs,” he said.
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Mr O’Callaghan said short stay accommodation was crucial to the success of tourism, and he expected to hear a positive announcement from the Government on that soon.
With international visitors not arriving back on our shores in the near future, Mr O’Callaghan said the Yarra Ranges was fortunate that only a small percentage of visitors to the region were from overseas and domestic travel represented more than 85 per cent of its core visitation.