Wulanda fast approaching one million visitors

MORE than 760,000 visits have been recorded at Wulanda Recreation and Convention Centre since opening in December 2022. With visitation continuing to accelerate, the centre is on track to welcome its one millionth visitor in the coming months, a significant milestone for a regional facility operating for just over three years.

City of Mount Gambier Mayor Lynette Martin said the figures clearly demonstrate the central role Wulanda now plays in the daily lives of the Mount Gambier community.

“Recording more than three quarters of a million visits in just over three years is an extraordinary result and reflects how strongly our community has embraced Wulanda,” Mayor Martin said.

“Reaching one million visits will be a powerful milestone not only for the facility, but for the whole community. It highlights the value of investing in inclusive, high quality infrastructure that genuinely meets community needs.”

Wulanda is accessed by more than 450 user groups and attracts people of all ages, abilities and backgrounds, supporting a wide range of activities, from everyday recreation and social connection through to structured health, wellbeing, education and skills development programs.

City of Mount Gambier Chief Executive Officer Paul Simpson said the centre’s scale of use is exceptional for a regional city.

“Welcoming more than three quarters of a million individual visitors so far highlights the breadth of Wulanda’s impact, and importantly the growing reach into providing both interstate and intrastate conferences is providing a significant broader economic boost for the businesses in the City of Mount Gambier,” Mr Simpson said.

“This is not a facility used occasionally – it is used every day, by large numbers of people, across all stages of life. From early childhood programs to active ageing, Wulanda is delivering appreciable benefits for health, wellbeing and community connection. A multifunctional facility of this quality in our community will provide generational benefits into the future, that cannot be disputed.”

From school programs and rehabilitation services to community sport, events and conventions, Wulanda has quickly become one of the most heavily utilised community hubs in regional South Australia, reinforcing Mount Gambier’s position as a confident and ambitious regional capital.