East Gippsland towns call on tourists to help rebuild communities
Tourism towns that were deserted as fires devastated parts of East Gippsland, have delivered a powerful message to Victorians on how they can help rebuild their communities.
VIC News
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Tourism towns in East Gippsland have declared themselves “open for business” amid fears tens of millions of visitor dollars will be lost this summer due to the bushfires crisis.
Lakes Entrance, Paynesville, Metung, Bairnsdale and other destinations, all deserted as fires ravaged the region, are up and running again — but there are no holiday-makers.
Business owners across the region fear well-meaning Victorians and interstaters will stay away for the rest of the summer, afraid of intruding on major rebuilds.
But Gippsland East MP Tim Bull said: “Our businesses have come off three years of drought and then copped this whack that has decimated the tourist season.
“For those who want to help, the best thing you can do is come visit us this summer.
“We can rebuild the houses, the fences and the bridges, but we need to rebuild the economy too. We need Victorians’ help to do that.”
In the few visitor areas still too close to fires to be safe, locals are urging people to book ahead to show support weeks down the track.
This time last year, visitors were lined up out the door at Portside Boat Hire in Lakes Entrance. But on Monday all 11 vessels were docked at the pier.
“The whole town is reeling,” owner Darren Fearnley, 56, said. “We’re all struggling, from the hotels and caravan park to the cafes and restaurants, as this is our peak time.
“We probably make 50 per cent of our income from Christmas Day to Australia Day — so it’s going to be a tough year.”
Mr Fearnley added: “Lakes is safe. We really hope people will start coming back in the lead-up to Australia Day.”
Destination Gippsland chief executive Terry Robinson said tourism in East Gippsland was worth about $400 million a year, and estimated that the economic cost of the fires could total “tens of millions of dollars”.
He encouraged those planning a holiday to consider the Gippsland towns declared safe for the Australia Day, Labour Day and Easter breaks.
“For areas that lie closer to the fires, people can book now, pay now and travel later,” he said. “That way the business gets the benefit of cash injection now and the person booking can enjoy later knowing they have made a difference.”
Firefighters are capitalising on calmer weather conditions to contain 19 blazes still burning across the state, while authorities including the defence force work to clear roads.
The Princes Highway, which connects to the only road in and out of Mallacoota, has been cut off since New Year’s Eve, with no reopening date in sight. More than 120 people were escorted out of the isolated town on Sunday.
On the other side of East Gippsland, Metung Hotel owner David Strange said the fires had been a “disaster” for the region, with the hit flowing from businesses to suppliers.
“It’s such a beautiful part of the world,” he said. “Come down and see us for a beer.”
The Phillips family, including dad Brendan, mum Sally and three kids, arrived in Paynesville on January 7, a week after a fire that sparked mass evacuations.
Mr Phillips described “eerie” scenes as the family drove into the “ghost town”.
“We’ve chatted to a lot of businesses and they are bleeding,” he said.
“These places here rely on three months of the year to survive. That’s why we are so glad we came.”
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Victoria’s Acting Tourism Minister Marlene Kairouz said an advertising blitz would market tourism towns where it was safe to travel.
Federal Member for Gippsland Darren Chester said he would call on his Cabinet colleagues and the state government for a multimillion-dollar investment in walking trails, camping grounds, boat ramps and other tourism assets to help the region recover.
“While we have suffered significant damage, the key natural asset of our region are still in good shape and the forest will recover in the years ahead,” he said.
“We are going to need governments to investment in new infrastructure on public land to make it even more attractive to visit Gippsland in the future.”