Gunnedah Mayor Owen Hasler opened the meeting and outlined council’s reasons for  reviewing the tourism budget and the possible relocation of the centre from ANZAC Park.

He said the proposed diversion of the highway when the new overpass is built is one factor driving the review along with the benefits of having council staff in the one location and attracting visitors to the CBD.

“We must be adaptable in a changing environment and look at how much more we can do for the travelling public,” he said.

“It is not possible to provide a detailed analysis yet, however, using feedback provided to council, a draft report will be presented for comment in April next year.”

General Manager Eric Groth said council well understood the concerns of the community and the meeting was an opportunity to have a say, with all comments recorded and placed on the Your Say website.

He said councillors will be well informed of all comments presented by the community and the costings before making a decision in May.

Manager of Customer Relations, Isabella Hall, pointed to an assessment released in 2004 as part of the Local Area Review, which recommended that the VIC be moved to the Oxley Highway to capture the travellers from both highways.

“This is a good reason to examine this location again,” she said.

“We have done well previously but we might be able to do better, it does not mean down sizing, it means looking at what is needed from visitors and how we can address these issues in a cost effective manner.”

The review will consider visitor numbers, digital presence, signage, CBD visitation, highway traffic, parking, grant funding, and alternate uses of the current VIC.

Members of the audience were adamant that the existing location was the ideal site for the Visitor Information Centre because it had plenty of parking and was close to the Lions Park where travellers could stop for  a break.

Local resident Pat Mayoh said he had travelled extensively in Australia and with his rig measuring 15 metres in length he needs a spacious area to park.

“Gunnedah is brilliant for parking and in my experience people will 

seek out the tourist office if they want it,” he said.

“All that is needed is good signage  to send them there.”

Director Infrastructure Services Wayne Kerr said all proposed sites would be evaluated, with areas around Wolseley Park looked at if the VIC was moved to the Town Hall.

This drew criticism from the audience, with comments that parking is at a premium now when tennis courts, The Civic and Town Hall are being used and that the mobility of some Grey Nomads would be a problem if they had to walk from Bloomfield Street.

Attracting RVs to the CBD was considered essential by Chamber of Commerce Chair, Ann Luke, who also said that most people are “tech savvy” and can go on the internet to find information.

Another speaker, Don Pasterski, said in his experience people would find the CBD if they wanted to.

“All that is needed is for staff at the Visitor Information Centre to provide a town map, marking where the supermarkets are and where they can find parking for their long vehicle,” he said.

“The Gunnedah VIC is in the best spot where it is – the problem is poor signage, would it not be better to spend $20 on a sign than build a new centre?

“I have pulled a caravan around Australia many times and in Western Australia they decided to do away with free camps but soon re-opened them because they realised the value of tourists.”

Owen Hasler said statistics revealed that 80 per cent of visitors to the shire were Grey Nomads and, with market figures showing that 29.5 per cent of these came from the Kamilaroi Highway.

A volunteer at the VIC for 15 years, Trudy Roessler said the current site was ideal but agreed that poor signage was a factor.

“Plenty of space for parking, the Dorothea statue, museum, Lions Park and the pool are all nearby,” she said.

Retired as a volunteer, Trudy questioned why there were no longer volunteers at the centre.

“You could save yourself so much money if volunteers worked there, even at the weekend,” she said.

“I loved my time there.”

Eric Groth said the volunteer issue needs to be re-visited as it was well established in other local government areas he had worked in.

As a frequent visitor to the pool complex, John Lemon said the parking area was well utilised by RVs and caravanners.

If the overwhelming wish of the community was to leave the VIC where it is, he questioned whether council would take this into consideration when making a decision.

Cr Hasler said all councillors would be provided with costings for each option and that is why the decision would not be made until May, not March as previously announced.

Leanne Jeffree, one of the VIC employees who was moved to another position within council as part of a staff reshuffle, said the biggest problem for the centre had always been lack of funds.

She said it would be a much cheaper option to improve signage to the VIC rather than relocate because which ever option was chosen, even the Town Hall, it would cost money.

She said the centre needs more volunteers and suggested approaching service clubs for support.

“We need people who have a passion for where they live and want to sell their town to visitors,” she said.

“If they have a good experience when they visit they might decide to spend another day or two, visit the CBD and spend more money.

“In the long run it would be cheaper to leave the VIC where it is as it would cost millions to construct a purpose built centre.”

Director Planning and Environmental Services, Mike Silver, said that as a former Apexian, he understands the community’s loyalty to the current VIC as he had been one of the many volunteers who worked on the building.

He said funding for the Town Hall had already been approved in the broad master plan for overall re-development of the site and it would allow the second storey to be converted to office space, with the ground floor opened up for a Visitor Information Centre.

Lloyd Angel had high praise for the former staff at the VIC after working with them for many years in connection with the Australia Day celebrations.

He also raised the need for volunteers in the office and perhaps to offer town tours.

“The Visitor Information Centre is in a great spot and the contribution of volunteers in the construction phase and in the VIC needs to be recognised,” he said.

Tony Jones said he was disappointed with the way the staffing issue had been handled by council and questioned the disparity of now having two senior staff members operating the VIC.

He said the considered option of  moving the VIC to the pool complex would achieve nothing.

He also asked what would happen to the building if the VIC was moved.

Cr Hasler said the staffing issue was an operational matter and that  council is determined to be transparent about possible future uses for the building.

Don Pasterski summarised the feelings of the crowd, saying the current site is ideal because it has adequate parking and is close to the park.

“It just needs better signage and the people will drive there,” he said.

“Leave it where it is and save yourself some dollars.”