NEWS DESK
Foreign tourists ‘generate jobs and money’ Stephen Taylor steve@mpnews.com.au MOONLIT Sanctuary Wildlife Conservation Park director Michael Johnson sees no problem with 61,000 international visitors coming to the Mornington Peninsula each year. He says Rye Community Group Alliance president Mechelle Cheers “shouldn’t be worried … rather, she should focus on the estimated 4.2 million day-trippers from Melbourne that visit annually”. The Pearcedale tourism operator said it was visitors from Melbourne causing traffic jams, not those from overseas. Ms Cheers is concerned about the impact of mass tourism on the peninsula – especially its effects on vegetation, animals and people (“Tourism can have downside”, The News, 10/10/17). “It is time the issue was openly discussed and debated,” she said. “This is a conversation that needs to be had – especially for the protection of the southern end of the peninsula.” Mr Johnson said Moonlit Sanctuary has more than 50,000 international visitors each year. “The advantage of the international market is that they come throughout the year, including midweek and off-peak periods,” he said. “If you want visitors on a wet Wednesday in July, international tourism is where it is at. Visitors from Melbourne
usually only turn up on weekends and holidays when the sun is shining.” Mr Johnson said big spending international visitors helped create sustainable jobs. “According to Visit Victoria figures, the average overnight international visitor to the peninsula spends $909, while domestic overnight visitors spend an average $303 and day-trippers $93,” he said. Ms Cheers’s comments were as Flinders MP Greg Hunt presented figures showing a rise in the number of international visitors to the peninsula and growth in the spending patterns of residents and local visitors. When contacted by The News, Mornington Peninsula Regional Tourism Board executive chair Tracey Cooper said “All tourists, whether domestic or international visitors, play an invaluable role in the local economy. They employ thousands directly and indirectly. The summer peak period, in particular when residents and the 24,000 holiday home owners are out enjoying the Mornington Peninsula can put a strain on resources. “One of our roles as the Mornington Peninsula Regional Tourism Board is to work with Industry and different levels of government to provide the resources and amenities necessary for locals, holiday home owner and visitors alike to get the maximum enjoyment out of our lovely region”.
All in: Winning calisthenics team members are coach Sarah Fortnam, Elspeth Dove, Angela Bristow, Brooke Johnson, Caitlin Burmeister, Cara Johnston, Kate Lambert, Katrina Nott, Kristy Draper, Kelly Urquhart, Marissa Meyers, Megan Miller, Natalie Little, Rachel Jarrett and Sarah Collins. Picture: Supplied.
Staged masters of their craft CANADIAN Bay Calisthenics College Masters has won the Victorian state championships in Division 1 – the highest division. The team members – all aged over 26 – won four items and placed second in the other two. The 16 women aged 28-41 are coached by Sarah Fortnam, a teacher at John Paul College, who also performs with them on stage. Most competed for Canadian Bay
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in the 1980s, 1990s and 2000s. “It’s just like the Blues Brothers getting the band back together,” member Elspeth Dove said. “We now all have careers and most are mothers, but once a week we can put that all to one side and train together in Mt Eliza.” Kelly Urquhart, who was in the team “decades ago”, learns the routines via video and flies from Sydney to compete. Canadian Bay also has a Divison
6 Masters team made up of women new to the sport, who have had a long break since competing, or who have family and work commitments making a lower division more suitable. Canadian Bay Calisthenics is celebrating its 40th year next year. “We are super proud of what we have achieved this year, all while keeping fit and enjoying the social aspects of being a women’s sporting team,” Ms Dove said.
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Mornington News 17 October 2017
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