The heritage town of Longford in Tasmania’s Northern Midlands Council is scoring winning points in its campaign to become a more inviting visitor destination, with the achievements to date focused on the town’s picturesque Village Green.
The first project entailed the replacement of an under-utilised, traditional children’s playground with a state-of-the-art, electronic, destination play space for older children and adults, and a contemporary, racing themed playground for younger children.
Word of the new playground rapidly spread and significant numbers of intra- and inter-state visitors are being attracted to the town throughout the week and weekend: much to the delight of local businesses who report consistently significantly higher sales turnover.
The next project involved the reinstatement of a lit Christmas tree on the Village Green. Previous attempts to install lights in the majestic century-plus old Sequoia tree soon succumbed to weather damage. Council researched contemporary infrastructure and opted for an LED festoon lighting system with bulbs made from a smash-proof polycarbonate material, each with a weatherproof flange to keep water out.
The other key selling point for the new tree lighting system, the first of its kind to be installed in Australia, is that the lights can ultimately be programmed to perform up to 800 sequences, including being choreographed to music.
Northern Midlands Council Mayor, David Downie reported, “At the launch event on 8 December 2017, the tree’s lighting system was pulsating to the beat of Christmas music, much to the delight of the many locals and visitors present for the occasion.
“The system’s hi-tech nature will enable Council to theme lighting displays across the year.”
In celebration of Australia Day the lights displayed green and gold combinations followed by red, white and blue sequences.
“The options are endless: pink light displays during Breast Cancer Awareness Month: local sports club colours during grand final weeks – to name but two possibilities,” Mayor Downie said.
