With grey nomads unable to head north this winter, some iconic destinations and iconic attractions have been left eerily quiet.
And the economic impact of a tourist season with no tourists is likely to leave a huge question mark hanging over even the biggest of them.
The Qantas Founders Museum’s 747 jumbo jet, with its signature flying kangaroo on display, is one of the most recognisable landmarks along the Matilda Way.
But the ABC reports that the museum in Longreach faces an uncertain future despite planning to celebrate Qantas’s 100th birthday in
November and the final stages of the $14.3 million airpark roof project being almost complete.
We do get some visitation through the summer but it’s not our big wealth-providing season,” Qantas Founders Museum chief executive, Tony Martin, said. “Potentially we’re looking at somewhere between 12–18 months of no-feed period.”
However, the outlook for the nearby Stockman’s Hall of Fame in Longreach is more bullish. Stage one upgrades to the entry, reception, cafe, dining area, and theatre experience are due to be finished in May. But it was the prospect of stage two being fast tracked that excited chief executive Lloyd Mills, who said it was a ‘rebirth’ for the attraction that would offer ‘a complete new experience’.
“When we do open again in April next year, it’s a whole new show and even more reason for people to come out here and have a good time,” he said.
Over in Winton, the tourism momentum created by the new Waltzing Matilda Centre has been stalled by the coronavirus pandemic.
John Elliott, tourism and events officer at the Winton Shire Council, which runs the centre, told the ABC it was just waiting for tourists to return.
“We’ve got a beautiful exhibition, it just opened before the people stopped coming, that will still be here when we reopen,” Mr Elliott said. “We’ve got to hunker down all winter and if it goes on all year that’s the way it is.”
