Friday 11 December 2015
5249 6700 indy@geelongindy.com.au
Georgia’s got latest edition of GC covered
‘Huge opportunity’
City first to greet campers
Captivating actress Georgia Chara, pictured, has found her place on the screen but her heart remains firmly in the Geelong region. The star of gritty TV series Wentworth loves nothing more than staying home even though she’s working on securing an American working visa to further her career. “Geelong is great,” she tells journalist Emily Robinson in the latest edition of Geelong Coast (GC) magazine. “I like to go for runs along the Barwon River and people say hello and it’s lovely. “The people are great. I love it.” Georgia and a host of other local faces feature in the summer edition of GC. Alana Mitchelson meets refugees forging new lives in Geelong, rising Surf Coast food blogger Kelly Lowdon presents some succulent summer recipes and the stunning morning imagery of photographer Lynden Smith comes to life in GC’s glossy pages. Full of stories and pictures of local people, places, issues and ideas, GC is available now at all good newsagents.
Campervan travellers will be welcomed to Geelong after receiving cold shoulders along the Surf Coast. Tourism industry figures said Geelong’s status as Victoria’s first council to partner a new Community Welcomes Recreational Vehicles program could unlock tourism opportunities. The program highlighted places that actively encouraged recreational vehicle (RV) travellers to visit, said Victorian Caravan Parks Association (VicParks) chief Elizabeth White. Australia’s fleet of RVs had grown by 34 per cent since 2008 to more than 500,000 to become a “huge opportunity” for councils, she said. “The RV market is booming in Australia and this program will allow local councils to capitalise on this growth while offering a better travel experience for consumers.” The VicParks program was designed to provide “a consistent welcoming message” to RV travellers, including a template sign for councils to display so travellers knew facilities were available for RVs, Ms White said. “With over 2300 camp sites available in the City of Greater Geelong,
COMING TO AUSTRALIA FORMER ASYLUM SEEKERS FIND HOME IN GEELONG
ADVENTURE ISLAND SURF COAST PAIR’S EPIC KAYAK JOURNEY
LOCAL LOVE THE WEDDING OF KIRBY AND DARCY
HOME BODIES A HOUSEFUL OF WORLDLY WONDERS
SUMMER 2015 AUS $5.50 (inc GST)
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GEORGIA CHARA DOING TIME IN WENTHWORTH
OUT NOW: Georgia on the cover of GC.
WEEKLY WINNERS GOBBLE UP TASTY PRIZES WITH INDY’S TALKIN’ TURKEY
MODELS OF AVANT GARDE ROCKING BACK TO GEELONG
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this is the perfect place to launch this program and we are delighted to have the council as our launch partner.” Geelong and Bellarine Peninsula tourism boss Roger Grant welcomed the City’s partnership with the free program. “Greater Geelong is very well placed to embrace this wonderful new initiative,” he said. “Our region attracts over five million visitors annually and we’re well supported with numerous holiday parks of outstanding quality.” Ms White said VicParks was “continuing to discuss the program” with other councils. RV travellers have previously experienced opposition on the Surf Coast where tourism operators have wanted council to deny any free parking spaces for campervans. RV proponents have pointed out that users still spend money during visits, promising an economic windfall for areas that welcome RV travellers seeking free camp sites. The potential value of campervan visitations has attracted some parts of the Surf Coast, with Winchelsea earlier this year seeking council backing to be declared an ‘RV Friendly Town’.
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1 GEELONG INDY Friday, 11 December, 2015