The Covid pandemic has seen a boom in younger people embracing the caravan and camping lifestyle and there are signs that some country towns are reacting by shifting their focus away from grey nomads.
And it’s not just a matter of higher site fees and putting more bouncing castles in caravan parks.
A report prepared for Mount Isa City Council said too much attention was currently being channelled into chasing the grey nomad market at tourist attractions like Outback At Isa, and that meant it was missing out on the new family market travelling through the Outback.
The council has adopted a master plan for which will see a coordinated approach for the long-term future development of the attraction, which currently hosts the Visitor Information Centre, Hard Times Mine, Riversleigh Fossil Centre, the Isa Rodeo Hall of Fame, museum and cafe, and Outback Park.
The plan says the future focus of the attraction should be on far fewer themes but far better experiences that have serious market appeal.
“The Riversleigh centre has to be enhanced externally as it is far too static,” the report said. “The Hardship Mine has to have more interactive experiences as part of it to appeal to a wider audience than primarily grey nomads.”
It suggested that the potential existed to add things like a boutique brewery, gin or tequila distillery, or cider house at the centre would appeal to a broad range of visitors, including locals.
“The distillery could have a distinct point of difference reflecting a food emporium experience to showcase the best of the Outback food and to illustrate what is grown seasonally,” the report said.
The report indicated it was important to widen the appeal of the attraction.
“New exhibition design aims to encourage more of the family market coming through the Outback along with far more locals wanting to use facilities and appealing far more strongly to the grey nomads as well,” it said. “Outback at Isa needs to become the centre point, the showcase for the North West outback region with a far stronger visitor appeal overall.”
While the bulk of the new suggestions would involve visitors paying to use them, the report noted that it was important that not everything had a cost attached.
“For example, we consider it desirable to offer an area as a rest area and picnic site so those travelling through Mount Isa (but not necessarily having the time to enter OAI attractions) can still stop and enjoy the upgraded site,” it said “This is often an important component for many transiting grey nomads along with families, who often comment on Instagram etc where they see nice free facilities being offered to them.”
It said this could help to raise the facility’s profile and may encourage more visitors who may allocate more time to come to enjoy the ticketed experiences.
The North West Star newspaper reports that the new plan seeks to identify new opportunities to enhance the economic viability and vibrancy of the attraction, achieve high-quality tourism performance, and improve the amenity of the site.
“The facility needs to be refreshed and improved to be more competitive as a major attraction for North West Queensland,” the council report into the plan said. “Outback at Isa could take on a far wider outback attraction role to promote aspects of the Outback.”
It identified there was no indigenous art or craft or dance presence, and there was a need to ensure it also delivered to the local community and the seasonal visitor markets.
Deputy Mayor Phil Barwick called it a wonderful plan.
“It gives us a way forward to apply for significant funding to add to the centre and give it a good refurb and reorientation of the attractions that are there,” Cr Barwick said. “When you look through the master plan, you’ll see what a fabulous place Outback at Isa will be if most of the items in the plan are completed.”
The North West Star reports that the council has budgeted $350,000 for a detailed design of future enhancements of the facility.
I’ve never read so much garbage in my life! We were at Outback at Isa a few weeks ago and found it to be very interactive, and didn’t just cater to grey nomads. The Riversleigh Fossil Centre had interactive areas where you could, dance with an extinct giant bird, touch fossils, see projected animals walk up to you on the floor, look through about 20 microscopes at micro fossils, etc. In the Hard Times Mine Tour you travel in a mine elevator down below ground, walk through a mine, get to operate a large hydraulic drill, eat morning tea in an authentic miners “crib” room, etc. What could be more interactive than that! What do they mean by far fewer themes; but then introducing new themes such as a brewery or distillery? How is the introduction of a brewery or distillery going to cater for families? It would be good if they could re-open the aboriginal heritage centre which is just beside the Outback at Isa centre.