The District Council of Peterborough drives home a major tourism award.
A disused railway line, a string of tiny towns and a single idea from a small regional council have helped secure a huge state award.
On November 13, the judging panel of the South Australian Tourism Awards gave the 2015 Destination Marketing Award to the District Council of Peterborough for the new Heritage Rail Trail.
The judges commended the marketing campaign for setting ‘clear measurable tourism targets that have resulted in increased visitation, sales and length of stay, as well as strategic partnerships with neighbouring tourism regions…’
Peterborough Tourism will now be entered into the Qantas Australian Tourism Awards held in Melbourne in February 2016, in the category of Destination Marketing.
According to Ruth Whittle, Mayor of Peterborough, “Tourism is the lifeblood of towns like ours, and the fact is, we have amazing stories to tell. But sometimes it takes a regional council to muster the resources, evolve a fresh idea and get it over the line.”
In January, Peterborough Tourism banded together with 13 small communities stretching 400km from Broken Hill to Port Pirie.
Realising they were in possession of one of Australia’s greatest industrial stories, they formed the Heritage Rail Trail, which effectively told how a little 3’6” railway line took a vast mineral resource to the world.
“We had this fantastic story, but we needed to find a compelling way of telling it. So Peterborough Tourism brought a whole range of people together – including regional community partners, creative experts and the incredible wealth of expertise that we have at Steamtown – to develop the narrative and generate a coherent, marketable idea.
“The success of this approach was clearly acknowledged by the award.”
Mayor Whittle says the District Council of Peterborough will continue to get behind tourism, to supporting existing players and encourage fresh initiatives.
Steamtown Heritage Rail Centre has gone from strength to strength, drawing people from afar with its Sound and Light Show. But Peterborough is also gaining awareness as a natural break-of-journey destination, not only providing a beautiful Southern Flinders country respite, but offering a swag of attractions.
“Part of the plan has been to get people to ‘stay another day’ precisely because there’s a surprising amount to see. The town’s heritage 19th-century buildings house attractions like the old Print Shop and the History Rooms – which are a remarkable time capsule, and the Meldonfield Miniatures in the YMCA building. And that’s before you start exploring the natural attractions like Dragon’s Rest Habitat Garden and the Greg Duggan Reserve…”
“It’s a case of critical mass. With support, these things have a way of growing and bearing their own fruit. And we can all benefit from that.”
