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THE ALPINE
BRIGHT - POREPUNKAH - MT BEAUTY - TAWONGA - TAWONGA SOUTH Thursday, March 16, 2023
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IN A SPIN Wandi resident Arlo Stone was having a great time at the Brighter Days Festival last Saturday afternoon learning to spin plates, playing on the slide and going on the giant trampoline.
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TREE LOSS STILL UNCERTAIN
Story page 8. PHOTO: Brodie Everist
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BOWLS CLUB REACHES 125 YEARS
Counting the cost FALLS Creek residents and businesses have welcomed the announcement that the Bogong High Plains Road will be open for winter, but many have stressed the impact of the landslide will be felt for some time, especially for summer operators. Major Road Projects Victoria announced last week that the Bogong High Plains Road is projected to open for single-lane access on April 25, meaning the road will have been closed for around six months. Falls Creek Chamber of Commerce president Lisa Logan said the certainty of a date for re-opening the
Resort residents welcome road opening, p g, but lost summer exacts heavyy toll BY BRODIE EVERIST beverist@ nemedia.com.au
road had given customers confidence, leading to more bookings. However, she was disappointed the road wouldn’t be open for Easter or any of the resort’s remaining summer events. “We are still in the same situation and we still have a number of weeks ahead of us before we can see regular access down to
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Mount Beauty,” she said. Ms Logan said the landslide had disrupted momentum for tourism at the resort after the COVID-19 pandemic, and she hoped some resources would be allocated to encourage tourists back. Mountain bike shuttle owner Brett Hollis predicted it would take around 10 years to recover from the losses his business incurred over the bushfires, the COVID-19 pandemic and the landslide. He said he was particularly disappointed in the business assistance
provided by the Victorian Government, which announced a $2.9 million service charge relief package for Falls Creek businesses in early February. Mr Hollis was not eligible for service charge relief as he does not hold a master lease at Falls Creek. “The government has been pretty disgusting in their support for businesses throughout this whole situation,” he said. “I’m not the only business owner that reflects that sentiment.”
Mr Hollis was also concerned that next summer would not return to previous visitation numbers. “My experience with tourism is, if you lose a period like this, you soon get forgotten when people have gone and discovered new things, especially in relation to mountain biking, which we specialise in,” he said. Lachlan Beckett, owner of a Falls Creek accommodation business, said they hadn’t seen an uptick in inquiries
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yet, suggesting potential customers wanted more uncertainty before they made bookings at the resort. “They want to wait and see that it does open,” he said. Mr Beckett said it was too early to tell if tourists would return to the Falls Creek summer season in the numbers prior to the landslide. “That consumer confidence, we’ll have to wait and see whether or not it does bounce back.” ■ Further story page 7.