Sea Lake night sky brings tourists to town

THE night sky is proving to be a tourism boon for a Victorian town, with an influx of tourists saving it from the brink.

L-RJane Stacey, Jenna Alday, Bron Alday, Alison McClelland, Ellie Stacey, Rachel Pearce and Murray Allan look up at the stars. Picture: Jason Edwards

A SMALL Victorian country town is thanking its lucky stars after an influx of tourists saved it from the brink.

Sea Lake locals have always known that Lake Tyrrell is one of the best spots in the country to look at the night sky, but after a pub landlord uploaded a photo to social media, tourism took off faster than a shooting star.

The photo, sent to a Chinese tourism operator in Melbourne, has sparked a very welcome “Asian invasion”, locals say.

Royal Hotel owner Dave Walter said he had almost 500 “star tourists” staying overnight at his hotel each month.

It’s a perfect spot because the 208sq km salt lake is very flat and very dark, says Sea Lake kindergarten teacher-turned-stargazer Bronwen Alday.

“In the city, you can spot the Southern Cross; because it’s so bright out here, you’ve really got to train your eyes to pick it out,” she said.

Publican Dave Walter thanks the night sky for bring his pub bus loads of tourists. Picture: Jason Edwards

“If you get a night with no moon, it’s phenomenal. You feel like you are really part of the Milky Way.”

The foreign visitors initially caught the town off guard, but diehard local Jane Stacey quickly realised the community needed to harness the benefits, so she coined the Sea Lake Tourism Steering Committee.

“At first, we weren’t sure why they were coming or what they were coming for,” Ms Stacey said.

Kate and Jenna Alday with other Sea Lake locals check out the stars. Picture: Jason Edwards

But she, like many others around town, are thankful the visitors arrived “from the heavens”.

“They’re spending money, talking about us everywhere, we’ve gone worldwide,” she said.

Ms Stacey recalls a time when she clicked on an image that took her to a Chinese website showcasing the Louvre and Arc de Triomphe in Paris, the Great Barrier Reef, and to her surprise, Lake Tyrrell.

“We’ve had this handed to us on a silver plate,” she said.

Publican Dave Walter cheers the night sky for bring his pub bus loads of tourists. Picture: Jason Edwards

“We really need to capitalise on our tourists coming, keep them coming and look after them while they are here.”

Mr Walter was one of the locals finding it hard in the drought-stricken town before the tourism surge provided a welcome relief to his hotel.

“It’s saved my business,” he said. “It’s kept the doors open.

“It’s fair to say that if it hadn’t of happened, I probably would’ve closed up 12 months ago. To me, the tourists are fantastic.”

Sea Lake is 350km northwest of Melbourne, halfway between Mildura and Bendigo.

“And if you’re not into stars, it’s the perfect spot to sink some cans and watch the sunset,” Mr Walter said.

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