There are plenty of Australian country towns doing it tough at the moment … and plenty showing a bit of fight as they seek ways to survive.
With challenges such as drought, the mining downturn, and a lack of employment opportunities, many are looking to tourism and, in particular, attracting grey nomads as a potential saving grace.
From constructing mysterious big objects, to building dinosaur museums, to opening free camping areas, towns across rural Australia have tried pretty much everything until they find something that works.
In the case of one tiny Victorian town, the imaginative but unlikely hero has been soup. Two hours from Melbourne, the Otway Ranges of Forrest cooked up the idea of hosting an annual SoupFest event, and it’s been a winner.
The normal population of around 240 swells to 4,000 when the tiny town celebrates all things soup.
Organiser, Gillian Brew, told the ABC that visitors liked to come to small towns such as Forrest ‘just to see what’s available’.
“It’s these quirky little events that really attract people,” she said. “It’s something a bit different, a bit out of the norm, and people seem to love it … and there’s something about the country hospitality, it’s true, we always have a smile on our dial and we welcome people into our town.”
Ten years ago when the logging industry effectively died in the area, Forrest was considered one of the most disadvantaged places in Victoria.
However, the locals focussed on developing a food tourism industry and also attracting mountain bikers … and it’s worked.
Andy Prossor, owner of a bike hire shop and cafe, said the transformation was massive.
“The pub had nearly closed and the general store wasn’t happening,” Mr Prossor said. “Now, our little bike shop’s doing it [well], the general store’s firing, we’ve got our own brewery, the pub’s going, the caravan park’s full a lot of the time, and the guest house is firing as well.
Sam Evans, a local earthmover, said the events have helped to give young people in the community jobs, as well as ‘making the town more vibrant’.
“It’s made a happy community,” he said. “It’s stopped the town from dying.”
* What ‘unusual’ events have you come across on your Big Lap? What do you think the best way struggling tourist towns can attract grey nomads? Comment below
