Only 35 minutes travel time west of Melbourne’s CBD, the Shire of Melton is racing ahead with tourism and business developments in the region
Recognised as the fastest growing municipality in Victoria and the eighth fastest growing in Australia, Melton is unashamedly developing its tourism attractions and aggressively seeking investors to establish industry and commerce in the Shire.
According to General Manager, Andi Diamond, Melton Council has identified four key tourism niche markets to be encouraged in the region. “Our Strategic Tourism Plan which will take us through to 2001, clearly recognises that Equine, Wine, Historical Sites, and Special Events and Festivals offer the best potential for grabbing a fair proportion of the tourist dollar,” she said.
“On the other hand, we have new investments and developments coming to Melton on a regular basis. “We believe we have been instrumental in creating more than 1,200 jobs in the Shire since we began chasing investors in 1995.” Council believes tourism and economic development go together in its overall strategy.
“Our successful economic development growth depends on careful targeting of potential investors, providing rapid response to enquiries and then fast tracking approvals to encourage eager investors to get their projects off the ground,” Andi Diamond said.
The range of schools, recreational facilities and the standard of housing available in the Shire add to the benefits of setting up business in Melton. “We have attracted some wonderful, clean industries in recent times,” she said.
The City recently created a unique tourism precinct, imaginatively named ‘Warrensbrook Faire’. This 240 hectare site offers visitors a range of award winning restaurants and wineries plus an English style pub.
In addition, Melton stages a number of special annual events including a wine festival and the regional Djerriwarrh Festival. These two events alone attract more than 60,000 visitors.
For further information contact Cathy Chapman, telephone (03) 9747 7200.
