West Coast Council is preparing a Walks Strategy that will incorporate its strategic aims of increasing participation in sport and recreation opportunities and its appeal as a tourism destination. Combined with the fact that the region holds some of Tasmania’s best short walks, this new strategy will be ambitious, respond to current and forecast conditions, provide flexibility, and deliver the greatest potential to create benefits for the community and the regional visitor economy. TRC Tourism (TRC) have been engaged to assist West Coast Council in delivering the strategy.
The strategy will consider feedback from the community survey conducted in May 2021 and engagement with West Coast regional stakeholders via online meetings and workshops. TRC’s Kain Gardner visited the region in June 2021 to conduct initial trail audits and meet with key stakeholders. Following this, TRC facilitated four online workshops in August 2021 and have used the information gathered to compile a preliminary insights report.
TRC are visiting the region again in October 2021 to conduct community workshops, discuss their latest findings and seek input on walking trails and priorities.
Workshop sessions will be held:
12 Oct 2021 – West Coast Council Chambers – 1130am – 1.30 pm
12 Oct 2021 – Strahan Shop fronts Esplanade Strahan – 6.30 pm – 7.30pm
13 Oct 2021 – Tullah – Tullah Hall Meeting room – 11.30am – 1.30 pm
We are specifically interested in your thoughts on the following points:
- Making walking more accessible to local residents, and meeting their needs
- Existing trails with greater potential to contribute to tourism and community needs
- Possible new walking trail opportunities and why they should be considered
- Potential connections between walks and other outdoor activities (existing and planned) and how they can complement each other
- Potential cultural and educational benefits of identified walks
- Any notable visitor experience gaps in the current trail offering
- Multi-use trails (e.g. rail trails, easier trails).
