Wellington Arts host “in Between Festival”
MANY successful festivals and events across the globe have their genesis in very small grassroots beginnings.
Who would have predicted the success of Tamworth’s country music Festival which has made that city one of the most recognisable regional brands in Australia, a place when international celebrities such as Keith Urban regard as an integral part of their success.
When the Parkes’ Elvis festival began it was about a dozen people dressing up for a party at a mate’s place called Gracelands, who would have thought it could attract tens of thousands of people on an annual basis and pour so much money into the local economy.
Now Wellington Arts is capitalising on both these events, last year staging the first “MUSIC IN BETWEEN” festival between these two more famous event, which attracted more than 1500 people.
Wellington Arts chair Danielle Anderson says the response to the inaugural event was amazing – she can see this year leading to bigger and better things.
This occasion again offers a fantastic variety of music and entertainment at numerous venues throughout the town, commencing with a display of local and regional artwork at the ‘Summer Festival Art Exhibition’ and the official opening of the Festival in the historic Old Western Stores Building on Monday, January 16,” Mrs Anderson said.
“Twenty-six events are planned over the seven days, ranging from Country, Rock’n’roll, Jazz and Classical and everything ‘in between’. Busking will be taking place from January 17 and events have catered from Kids Karaoke at PCYC through to Dancing at the Grand Hotel on Thursday night.”
Entry to all events is free with the exception being a small entry fee to a very special concert, presenting the Dubbo Conservatorium Chamber Music Players and very talented local performers, at the Wellington Civic Centre on Saturday 21st January.
Mrs Anderson said this Matinee of Music will be an entertaining concert for the whole family.
“Last January was our first Music In Between Festival and it was met with great enthusiasm, creating a relaxing and wonderful atmosphere throughout the town for the entire week,” Mrs Anderson said.
“This year has been well supported throughout the community, with enough events to keep people singing from venue to venue.”
The full program and location of events is available at www.wellingtonarts.com.au
Wellington seems to have grasped a new lease on life since the recent merger with Dubbo, that town capitalising on the larger resource and skills base to push ahead with bold new projects.
Dubbo Regional Council administrator Michael Kneipp spent a day down there this week pushing the good news stories, and pointing out that tourism is one of the best ways to generate economic activity, because you’re selling experiences, and unlike industry, you don’t have to fund much in the way of new and expensive infrastructure to support it – it’s a ‘soft’ way to improve your lot.
First cab off the rank was the launch of the Wellington Rhino sculpture, one of many in a trail which leads from Sydney to Dubbo, an initiative capitalizing on the need for many tourists to stop and take selfies which can then be posted to social media.
He also launched the new Wellington guide.
“Tourism is a really interesting phenomenon because if a lot of people come to town you need school classes for them, you need hospitals for them, all those sorts of things,” Mr Kneipp said.
“When tourists comes to town they need a very small room called a motel room, they don’t use medical services, or very rarely, so whatever money you get out of tourism is really cream on the cake because you don’t have to put in a lot of infrastructure in order to get that money.
“I think of Wellington as being a fabulous tourist destination – if
we can just get five percent of the off the road into a café or into a hotel room then that is money, and why is that good? – it’s called jobs and the more people you have that are employing, the more social cohesion you have,” he said.
“So we really have to put on a good face.”
Wellington is coming into its own as a tourist destination in its own right, and Dubbo Regional Council has allocated plenty of money from the Stronger Communities Fund, given to the newly amalgamated body, towards the town.
The local caves will get a $2.5 million injection, primarily to enhance the Visitor Experience Centre – that’s a massive boost, dwarfing all other single individual projects, and one that should take the complex to the next level.
Michael Kneipp said that the caves is sometimes overshadowed by the rave reviews for the adjacent phosphate mine, so this should make it the region’s second best attraction after the zoo.
A great strategy would be to package Dubbo and Wellington as an area where families could spend five day holidays, combining the caves, mine, zoo, Old Dubbo Gaol and encourage local businesses to fire up more and better local attractions.