Wulanda ‘officially’ open for business

Wall to wall dignitaries & stakeholders at opening of $62million state-of-the-art facility

It was an occasion for dignitaries and key stakeholders as Mount Gambier’s Wulanda Recreation and Convention Centre was officially opened last Thursday.

The $62million project has been a collaboration between Federal, State and Local Government and it was representatives from these three levels of government that were front and centre amongst the usual trappings of the ribbon cutting and cake cutting.

The Australian Government contributed $15 million towards building the centre, while the South Australian Government’s contribution was $10 million and the District Council of Grant tipped in $350,000.

The centre enjoyed a soft opening last December, hosted the South Australian Country Swimming Championships in January and has secured 1900 members and attracted almost 15,000 casual visits in its first 60 days of operation.

Arguably the next key date in the fledgling history of Wulanda will be the first home game of the NBL1 season for the Mount Gambier Pioneers men’s and women’s teams on April 14.

A City Showcase was also set up as part of Thursday’s official opening, with community groups, service providers and businesses given the opportunity to network with the community.

Katrina Webb OAM was the keynote speaker at the official opening, delivering her motivational offering across two free sessions – one in the afternoon and one in the evening.

Katrina is an international speaker, leadership and personal mastery consultant, trainer in wellbeing and resilience and a physiotherapist and securing her services for the landmark event was a coup for organisers.

Throughout the build, Wulanda benefited local trades and contractors by more than $22 million with further investment in hospitality, accommodation and other businesses and services.