EDITORIAL

Tourist drawcard needs support

JEFF Kennett — the former premier and self-appointed Minister for Geelong in the 90s — recognised the immense value of big-ticket tourist attractions on Geelong’s north-facing waterfront, as did former mayor Darryn Lyons.

It was Mr Kennett who helped bring the stunning vintage carousel to our waterfront and oversaw the redevelopment of the old Dalgety woolstores into a bustling university campus.

The ideas of Darryn Lyons have been slightly more outrageous: A huge “ice castle” themed cruise ship pier and dazzling, floating Christmas tree viewable from space chief among them.

But while Lyons’ ideas may have been flamboyant — and in the case of the pier, ultimately unachievable — he was right to push for more attractions on Geelong’s stunning waterfront, to bring more people and tourist dollars to a city doing it tough in the wake of manufacturing closures.

Which is why it is so disappointing to learn an exciting new rope adventure park proposed for the Western Beach foreshore is being delayed by uncertainty over the viability of a proposed convention centre.

The proposed Sky Rig high ropes course, which would extend over Corio Bay and be supported by a 100-seat café, would offer additional activity for both tourists and Geelong locals on our waterfront.

Indeed, it is conceivable this sort of attraction would see people travel considerable distances to experience the extreme adventure course.

We learn in today’s paper that proponents of the Sky Rig Adventure Park were on the verge of applying for a planning permit when they were halted by a State Government ban on development in the area. The freeze was issued as the State Government worked on a masterplan for a long-awaited convention centre on the adjacent Deakin University waterfront car park, and when that plan stalled, the project was thrown into limbo.

It was a terrible blow to Geelong people to learn earlier this year there would be no State funding delivered in the May Budget for a convention centre. The news came after earlier assurances cash would flow for the project.

To now lose both the prospect of a major convention centre and a tourist attraction of the scale of the Sky Rig Adventure Park on the Geelong waterfront, is doubly disappointing.

Geelong deserves certainty, commitment and funding from all levels of government for big ticket items if we are to bounce back from our industry shut-downs.

A project like Sky Rig should simply not be on the ropes.