Day 2 - Road testing road tourism

Day two of the fact finding tour started with striking camp in pouring rain. Cold and wet is not an encouraging state to be in for a day trip. We found a few inevitable leaks in the canvas which can bed expected of any new canvas until it shrinks.

We were visited on site by a television crew from Prime Television curious as to what could possibly possess a politician to go caravanning in somewhere with a reputation for being cold. The interviewer was a young lass from Queensland who had only been there a few short weeks but I must say, was intrigued by the caravan.

First destination was Molong which proved surprisingly interesting. It had seen better days but I have to congratulate the local tourism board in their promotional efforts. The road in was fundamental but the Molong had lots of character. The train station had been converted into the local library and when we arrived there were a number of caravaners from Victoria.

They were travelling northward an in an effort to contain expenses had found private property to camp in. This was a theme that is repeating it self in other places. As expected, the high cost of fuel was imposing economies in other areas. I am very concerned about the downstream effect on local economies if the road tourism industry is allowed to shrink. The government has got to take some proactive measures to address this problem.

From Molong, we went to Manildra, a town whose major industry is the starch mills. Manildra also has a starch mill in my own electorate with that name and also produces ethanol which ironically helps keep down the cost of petrol.

From there to Parkes where we visited the local information centre and whose staff were very friendly and helpful. Parkes celebrates its Elvis week in January but wintertime, trade was predictably down. Parkes is on the Newell Highway and it was from that point that the previously invisible caravans suddenly became very visible. In just two short days on the road, we drew the impression that road tourists prefer the major arteries.

One thing that we did make note off was the need for more signage to tell you exactly where you were. We had difficulty estimating our fuel consumption and for the second day running, got to the last town on almost an empty tank of fuel. There is a screaming need to standardise tourist signage.

On through to Forbes and beyond and the terrain was getting flatter. West Wylong is another town showing the signs of a bygone era. Tourism relies very much on presentation and to allow towns to show signs of dilapidation diminishes the very product townships are desperately trying to promote. There’s a lesson there for the State Government – support your councils by maintaining and promoting a positive image.

It was then on to Griffith via Rankin Springs, a tiny little hamlet on the main thoroughfare which once supported the local farming community – another relic of a bygone era which left nothing to induce you to stay.

The Jayco proved a breeze to tow and we maintained a good pace with little difficulty. We were now confronting longer distances with less and less distractions and even less attractions, for that matter. Still, it takes all types and some people actually like undisturbed country side. Developing a roads tourism policy based on a one size fits all is a big ask. But we are getting valuable feedback from the folks we come across.

Tuesday night in Griffith and a new day tomorrow. There has been a lot of interest from the local media and tomorrow Stateline will be recording our next leg to Mildura. Haven’t been there for a long time and it will be interesting to see what has changed.

Slowly but surely, we are getting a feel for the journey but there is no doubt that the cost of fuel is hurting and we haven’t even begun to see the end of this yet.