23 DECEMBER 2020 | ISSUE 465 | FREE
The communities of Nagambie and Seymour have thrown open their doors to welcome back visitors to the region with the help of an artist and his posters. Both townships are pooling their resources in a new tourism attraction campaign featuring the famous Goulburn River and Ranges and other natural attractions in the Mitchell and Strathbogie Shires. Keen to be involved, former Herald-Sun illustrator and cartoonist Chris ‘ROY’ Taylor created a series of vintage travel posters around the theme of Take Nature’s Road Trip. The posters showcase the region’s natural beauty and main attractions with a retro twist as part of the region’s ‘pitch’ to Victoria’s $10bn regional tourism market. Speaking at the Campaign’s launch, Mr Taylor said his art was inspired by his childhood memories of Nagambie and the region. “As a child, and now as an adult, I have so many fond memories of the region’s lakes, fishing, birdlife, trails, and open-air experiences. There’s something very classical and timeless about this area. The posters reflect this vintage feel, with a classic modern twist, which has become the essence of the region. “Take Nature’s Road Trip reflects the combination of tradition and trend, a return to the forgotten experience of romantic getaways and family day trips. Think nature walks with the kids
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along billabongs, untouched landscapes with an abundance of wildlife, water adventures, handmade wines, and the delicacies of locally picked gourmet food,” Mr Taylor said. Both Shires, especially Mitchell, have been hard hit by Melbourne’s strict lockdown. The Hume Highway completely dried up as a source and distributor of tourism in 2020. But Campaign organisers said that local businesses were now more than ready to help each other take advantage of the expected boom in drive tourism created by the pandemic. Go Nagambie Chair Mr Lee Rowland said townships, like Nagambie, Seymour and nearby Avenel, would greatly appeal to would-be visitors because of the region’s 90-minute-by-car proximity to Melbourne and the promise of a great, safe, and crowd free experience. “In this post-lockdown period, people will want to spend as little time as possible traveling to places which offer exceptional and memorable experiences, totally free from the hassle of queues and crowds, which is exactly what we’re offering,” Mr Rowland said. “The fact that the Goulburn River and Ranges are on Melbourne’s doorstep, makes townships like Seymour and Nagambie an incredibly attractive tourism, lifestyle and investment destination,” he added. Mr Rowland said many individual businesses in Nagambie and Seymour did not have the resources or avenues to promote their services or place to
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visitors, either physically or online. “Take Nature’s Road Trip closes this gap,” Mr Rowland said. Go Seymour President Mr Stuart Locke said the Seymour community welcomed the Campaign as part of its road to recovery. “Take Nature’s Road Trip taps an existing sentiment of responsibility, empowerment, and local funding within the community to make things happen,” Mr Locke said. “The Seymour business community, in particular, is anticipating a surge in regional tourism and investment in the coming months. “The Campaign represents a proactive and considered approach to how local business and community can contribute to, and benefit from a rebound in regional tourism. “The Campaign also provides a point of integration and distribution of Government business information and key programs, like the Seymour Revitalisation Initiative, which are designed to support local restart, recovery, and resilience efforts,” he said. Mr Locke encouraged day-trippers and overnight visitors to “give Seymour and Nagambie a go”. “Nature, great climate, and gourmet food and wine awaits for those willing to take the road less travelled to a region, which, surprisingly, lies on the doorstep of so many travellers in this State,” he said. At the launch, the Campaign’s first promotional ambassadors, local business owners Ruby Ryan, Crystal Kimber, and Sam Plunkett, were also
announced. Take Nature’s Road Trip will start appearing on mobile and arterial billboard displays, social media platforms, on the new Campaign websites, (goseymour.com.au gonagambie.com.au) and in the region’s local townships during December 2020.
Campaign Aims: With its focus on Melbourne and intrastate day-trippers and overnighters, Take Nature’s Road Trip will promote four segmented value propositions – i.e. Go Drive, Go Explore, Go Wine and Dine, and Go Stay – as part of a seamless, integrated offering to the drive tourism segment. The Campaign’s aims include: A) Create a sense of place for the region, which sharply distinguishes it from other regional visitor destinations. B) Raise awareness of ‘must see’ places and points of interest, which offer a unique, different, and rewarding experience. C) Be ready for the expected surge in regional/ rural tourism (post-lockdown), especially the drive tourism market segment. D) Support the Victorian Government’s ‘buy local’ and ‘go regional’ messages and campaigns, as well as Local Shire initiatives. E) Invite local communities and business owner/ operators to join and support a professionally coordinated, strength-based recovery campaign, targeting key visitor segments within the drive tourism market.