Visitors to the Northern Grampians will be able to find out information and history of the region from a new location at the Pleasant Creek Historical Precinct in Stawell.
Council, in partnership with Grampians Tourism, has moved all the tourist information assets and displays that were housed at the Picker’s Market to the Gallery at the precinct.
The move of the information assets, including maps, brochures and displays comes after Peter and Anthea Perry announced the Picker’s Market would close its doors for the last time this weekend.
Northern Grampians Shire Council Mayor, Murray Emerson, said the Picker’s Market will be missed by the people of Stawell and visitors who would stop in for a chat.
“It’s a shame the Picker’s Market will be closing their doors, Mr and Mrs Perry have been cornerstones of the community for many years. I wish them the best of luck with their future plans and thank them for their years of service to the community,” he said.
Visitor information stands containing flyers, maps, brochures and other information about tourism in the region were kept at the Picker’s Market for visitors to access.
The doors of the Gallery will be open as many days as possible with a selection of Grampians Tourism staff being based there to help tourists and travellers find their way.
Opening days will be rotated to find the days that provide the best service to locals and visitors alike.
“It’s a terrific site. The Historical Society is there to help travellers and Marc Sleeman, CEO of Grampians Tourism, will be working from there for a while with another Grampians Tourism employee,” Cr Emerson said.
Grampians Tourism CEO, Marc Sleeman, said the new location presents a great opportunity to enrich the tourism experience of visitors to the region.
“We will be working with members of the Historical Society to ensure an improved visitor experience. We hope there will be a really wonderful synergy between the two of us working in collaboration to improve visitor interactions and experience,” he said.
Grampians Tourism is also looking for volunteers so we can run the information centre as close as we can get to seven days a week.
“This is a really good opportunity,” Mr Sleeman said.
“We are contracted to deliver two days of servicing from the location for the community, but I believe we can work towards being open at least five days a week with support from the community and some volunteer support would be fantastic.”
“For anyone who wants to be a volunteer in the tourism business, this is their opportunity to gain some really valuable experience. Local people are the best fit for this role as they know about the region better than anyone,” Cr Emerson said.
