Minutes of the Tourist Attraction Signposting Assessment Committee Wednesday 15 May 2013 at the offices of Destination NSW, Harrington Street, The Rocks Note: A meeting that was to have been held in Yass with the South West Region Subcommittee was cancelled due to insufficient expected attendance numbers. Members David Douglas Maria Zannetides Regional Coordinator TASAC and Drive, Destination NSW TASAC Secretariat AGENDA ITEMS 1. DELEGATIONS / PRESENTATIONS & REGIONAL SIGNPOSTING ISSUES There were no delegations / presentations or site inspections because the meeting was not held in a regional location. 2. NEW TOURIST SIGNPOSTING APPLICATIONS 2.1 Urunga Boardwalk, Bellingen Shire Bellingen Council has submitted an application for tourist signposting for the Urunga Boardwalk, which is on the eastern side of the town and east of the Pacific Highway. The main boardwalk is 1 km long and there is also a 250 m side boardwalk, which is perpendicular to the main boardwalk. Visitors can access the boardwalk daily during all hours. It comprises a raised timber walkway above the mangroves of Urunga Lagoon commencing at the Urunga Heads Holiday Park (2 Morgo Street) and ending at Urunga Heads. The boardwalk is of variable width with seating in some wider sections. It offers views of the confluence of the Bellinger and Kalang Rivers to the north, Urunga Lagoon to the south and ocean views to the east. A large visitor information panel near the start of the boardwalk provides an overview of it and photos submitted with the application indicate that there are 11 interpretive plaques attached to railings along its length. The plaques cover a variety of topics such as birdlife, dredging, the Giinagay Aboriginal people, Mylestom Spit and Mangrove Forests, and are well presented and informative. Many of the plaques are placed at the wider sections of the boardwalk, which have seating. The Committee noted the following issues: i. The current published promotional information does not do the boardwalk justice in that it is mentioned in general brochures (i.e. Walking Urunga and Surrounds and Discover Urunga and Surrounds), which describe other points of interest and do not fully inform visitors about the boardwalk and its features. ii. The large visitor information panel near the start of the boardwalk refers to the attraction as Urunga Lagoon Footbridge, which is different from the name the applicant has suggested for tourist signposting. Final 20 May 2013 1 of 6
Brian Bowers, Manager Coffs Coast Visitor Information Centre, carried out a site inspection on 8 May with a return visit on 14 May. His report and supplementary information from the second visit indicate that: i. Vehicular access to the boardwalk is through a caravan park entrance. ii. iii. A large visitor information panel was in place near the start of the boardwalk, which acknowledges both the NSW Government (Department of Environment, Climate Change and Water and the Land and Property Management Authority of State Parks) and Bellingen Council. No small interpretive plaques at locations along the boardwalk were observed on either visit. Decision: Action: More information is required to address the matters raised above. Secretariat to seek additional information from the applicant as above. 3. CONFIRMATION OF MINUTES OF 17 APRIL 2013 Maria advised that the April TASAC minutes incorrectly indicate that the Aboriginal Cultural Centre and Keeping Place in Armidale is open on Sunday from 10 am to 2 pm whereas the Centre is closed on Sunday. Subject to this correction, the minutes of TASAC s meeting of Wednesday 17 April 2013 with the Northern Region Subcommittee in Armidale were confirmed. It was noted that all the actions from the meeting in relation to new applications have been completed. Maria has also been in touch with 14 of the 16 businesses / destinations that are to be invited to lodge new applications for tourist signposting and letters requesting applications have been sent regarding eight of these. Another six letters will be issued in the next few weeks and work is proceeding to identify the operators of Metz Gorge and Shannon Creek Dam. 4. MATTERS ARISING FROM PREVIOUS MEETINGS 4.1 TreeTop Adventure Park, Minmi A site inspection report for TreeTop Adventure Park was received from Valerie Antaki of Tourism Hunter on 15 May 2013. The report generally supports signposting of the attraction subject to the clarification and / or resolution of the following issues: i. The aerial courses are open from 9 am to 2 pm in winter, which is less than required by the Tourist Signposting manual. It may be that people who enter before 2 pm in winter are able to remain on site till 4.30 pm (the winter closing time advised by the applicant) but this is not clear. ii. The opening hours sign at the entry does not inform visitors that they cannot commence the aerial courses after 2 pm in winter. iii. The courses are difficult to navigate for visitors who are walking under them on the ground rather than moving aerially through the tree canopy. Action: Secretariat to request additional information from the applicant as above. Final 20 May 2013 2 of 6
4.2 Six String Brewery, Erina David completed a site inspection report for Six String Brewery on 8 May 2013 and a letter was sent to the applicant on 13 May 2013 requesting that: i. A new, larger opening hours sign be installed at the entry that gives the opening hours and contact details (phone and/or website) and includes a prominent statement that Self-Guided Brewery Tours Available during Opening Hours. The sign should be large enough that it cannot easily be overlooked. Also, the sign could refer to the time of the guided tour that is available once on Sundays. ii. iii. iv. More information is added to the brewery s website to inform potential visitors that they can learn about brewing at the premises, including references to the availability of self guided tours during all hours and the Sunday guided tour. Legible photos are provided of the other seven text boxes on the educational wall within the premises, which cannot be read in the original application. Copies of the beer tasting notes are provided. v. Similar amendments to those at i and ii above be made to the next iteration of the brochure when current stocks are depleted. 4.3 InnesLake Vineyards, Port Macquarie Jane Ellis, Tourism Marketing and Promotions Co-ordinator at Port Macquarie Hastings Council, was asked to prepare a site inspection report on 16 April 2013. TASAC s position on the application will be finalised as soon as possible after Jane s report is received. 4.4 Escort Rock Historic Site Cabonne Council applied to TASAC for Escort Rock Historic Site to be signposted as a major tourist attraction in December 2012 and TASAC requested additional information at its January 2013 meeting. However, it is understood that Council will not now be proceeding with the application because it has asked RMS Western Region to change the name of the rest area at the site to Escort Rock Rest Area. Maria has noted the change in approach on TASAC records. 4.5 Artemis Wines, Mittagong The operator has advised that a new brochure, which was recently sent to the Secretariat, is to be pulped and reprinted because it does not include a street address. The application will be finalised when the new brochure has been received. A site inspection report in support of the application was recently received from Izabella Lane of Tourism Southern Highlands. Final 20 May 2013 3 of 6
5. INQUIRIES RECEIVED SINCE LAST MEETING The following inquiries received in the period since the last meeting were noted: 5.1 Woolgoolga Heritage Walk 5.2 Hurley Surfing Australia High Performance Centre, Casuarina Beach (Tweed Shire) 5.3 Toms Waterhole Wines, Canowindra 5.4 Calderwood Valley Golf Course 5.5 Myall Way Tourist Drive proposal 5.6 Woodford Academy, Woodford 6. POLICY ISSUES 6.1 Tourist Drive 7 (Yass-Wee Jasper-Tumut) Tourist Drive 7 is understood to be shared by Yass Valley, Tumut and Gundagai Councils. Advice was received from RMS South West Region in late 2012 that there were no crash clusters identified along the tourist drive and that there appeared to be no significant safety risk that suggested removal of signage for the tourist drive. It now remains for the relevant Councils to bring the condition of the existing signage for the drive and its promotional material up to an acceptable standard and within an agreed timeframe. Action: Secretariat to request an update on progress by 31 July from the three Councils. 6.2 Former Tourist Drives 1, 5 and 6 In October 2011 TASAC determined to remove former Tourist Drive 1 (Kiandra-Cabramurra- Khancoban-Thredbo-Jindabyne-Snow Resorts-Cooma) and former Tourist Drive 5 (Gilmore-Batlow- Tumbarumba-Kiandra) as not all the Councils that shared the drives were prepared to support them. TASAC determined to remove former Tourist Drive 6 (Gundagai-Tumut-Adelong) in December 2012 following advice from RMS that it had removed most of the drive s signs from State roads in response to advice from Gundagai Council in 2009 that the drive should not be retained. On 29 April 2013 RMS Sydney Region advised Maria that it had completed a scope of works to remove the signs for all three former tourist drives and it expects that the signs will be removed by 30 June 2013. 6.3 Proposal for Myall Way tourist drive Maria recently received correspondence from Richard Old, Great Lakes Shire s Manager Tourism and Marketing, regarding a proposal put to Council by the Hawks Nest / Tea Gardens Progress Association and Myall Coast Chamber of Commerce and Tourism for a new tourist drive. The proposal envisages that Myall Way, from where it meets the Pacific Highway north of The Rock, all the way to Bulahdelah would become a tourist drive. The proponents consider that the tourist drive would have the following benefits: It would give travellers using the Pacific Highway an interesting alternative drive through Myall Lakes National Park, thereby increasing the public exposure of the park and supplementing NPWS income through the sale of visitor permits, ferry charges and associated National Park information packages. Final 20 May 2013 4 of 6
It would assist businesses in Bulahdelah, which may struggle to survive once the town by-pass is opened later this year. It would expose businesses in Hawks Nest and Tea Gardens to some Pacific Highway traffic and increase the businesses' viability during the quieter non-peak seasonal periods. It would increase the exposure of the Great Lakes area to general tourism. However, the proposal has the following drawbacks: 1. A section of Bombah Point Road is unsealed but of good quality gravel and requires regular maintenance. 2. A car ferry operates at Bombah Point between 8am and 6pm, though it may be possible to increase the ferry s hours of operation if a tourist drive was established. 3. The proponents wish to establish the tourist drive so that it can be included in signposting plans for the Bulahdelah by-pass, which RMS is currently finalising and, therefore, a decision to establish a tourist drive and incorporate signs for southbound traffic is required urgently. TASAC is not considering any new drives until it has completed the current process of working with Councils to fix signs and promotional material for all existing tourist drives. The policy position is explained on page 29 of the Tourist Signposting manual (which can be accessed at http://www.rta.nsw.gov.au/doingbusinesswithus/downloads/technicalmanuals/touristsignsv4.pdf) and this has been the position for more than two years. TASAC s current tourist drive review commenced in February 2011 and it is estimated that it will be at least another two more years before it is completed. In any case, even if TASAC were accepting applications for new tourist drives careful consideration would need to be given to the appropriateness of establishing a new tourist drive that included unsealed sections and a car ferry. Action: Secretariat to respond to Richard in the above terms. 7. OTHER BUSINESS 7.1 TASAC Meeting Schedule Please refer to Attachment 1 for the schedule of meetings for the next six months. A decision about the location of the next South West Region meeting to be held on 13 November 2013 will be made at the 21 August meeting. 8. NEXT MEETING Wednesday 19 June 2013 in Raymond Terrace (Port Stephens Council) with the Hunter Region Subcommittee. The meeting concluded at 12.15 pm Final 20 May 2013 5 of 6
Attachment 1 TASAC Meeting Schedule Region Location Date 2013 Hunter Raymond Terrace 19 June 2013 Western Grenfell 17 July 2013 Sydney Sutherland 21 August 2013 Southern Bungendore 18 September 2013 Northern Nambucca 16 October 2013 South West To be advised 13 November 2013 Final 20 May 2013 6 of 6