Support your local groups

I HOPE all readers had a great Christmas and New Year period.

If you’ve had time off from your regular duties, I trust it was a refreshing and relaxing break.

And if you made any New Year resolutions, I hope your commitment remains strong!

This time of year is so important, to a wide range of businesses and groups.

The funds raised now can set so many up for the remainder of the calendar year.

I think of the volunteer organisations, such as the Ocean Grove Surf Life Saving Club, which hosts its biggest annual fundraiser at the end of December.

Held for more than 40 years, the Rip to River is a fantastic fun run that has events for all ages and abilities.

There is also the volunteer-led Portarlington Mussel Festival and also drawing day trippers during January, the Bellarine is a hive of activity and energy.

Run by a team of more than 100 volunteers, the festival is a major highlight in January, attracting about 30,000 people.

Funds raised from the festival flow to local charities and community organisations, and the economic benefits of attracting tens of thousand of visitors to Portarlington ripples through the entire town.

Another of my favourites is the Wonderland Spiegeltent Festival, in Barwon Heads.

The travelling big top opened on Boxing Day and takes centre stage on the foreshore until 28 January.

It has become a summer fixture on the coast, with a great mix of circus, cabaret, music, magic and comedy.

The Spiegeltent is just another reason why the region can host as many as 400,000 overnight visitors during this month.

The array of attractions has helped Greater Geelong and the Bellarine’s tourism sector return to pre-pandemic highs, contributing $1.6 billion to the local economy.

More than 6,400 people are employed in the tourism and hospitality sector, and there are opportunities to increase this.

The key to alleviating a lot of these businesses’ reliance on this peak period, is to sell this region as a place to visit and stay in all year-round.

If we can grow the mid-week and shoulder seasons, it will go a long way to ensuring our businesses are sustainable and expand, creating more jobs.

We also want to see our regular visitors stay longer, and experience more of the fantastic attraction in the wider region.

A lot of visitors love to return to long-established favourite places, and it’s easy to understand why; that is often how family traditions and deeper connections are made.

But there is so many great spots across the Bellarine, and beyond, that we need to encourage people to try.

Notwithstanding that, the region’s peak tourism body, Tourism Greater Geelong and The Bellarine, is very optimistic about the future of our visitor economy.

Their modelling shows that visitor days are expected to grow from 9.2 million this year to 13.6 million by 2032.

The visitor economy will be worth up to $2.1 billion annually over the next decade, with a host of new accommodation offerings to help meet this demand.

It is vital that we cater to this influx, without losing sight of why people choose to travel here.

The beautiful natural environment of the coast, and the surrounding landscapes, are the jewels in the Bellarine’s crown.

Council now has more than 1400 hectares of protected natural habitat under its control, and there are more than 11,600 hectares of wetlands across Greater Geelong.

We must protect and enhance these remnant environmental treasures, so that future generations can enjoy them as we all do.

Cr Elise Wilkinson

Bellarine Ward,

City of Greater Geelong