Calls to splash out on tourism masterplan
IT’S a small town with a lot of tourism potential, and community leaders are calling for the Maranoa Regional Council to consider a masterplan for the future of Mitchell’s main tourism precinct.
Booringa Action Group CEO Jeff Watson said they were looking for a plan for upgrades to the Great Artesian Spa, Maranoa River Precinct and museum.
“If you don’t have a masterplan developed you’d end up with a bit of a mess,” Mr Watson said.
“Once you have the plan, the next step is to get the priorities in there and work your way down the priorities.”
The group has been advocating for these upgrades since the 2008 council amalgamations.
“We’ve raised it at least two or three times in the past three or four years,” Mr Watson said.
He would like to see increased capacity at the spa to allow more people to use the facility.
Another idea that has been floated is a wading pool for kids.
Prior to the 2012 floods, the Maranoa River bridge had street art, commissioned by the Booringa Shire Council, painted on the piers.
But because the bridge had to be rebuilt, the artwork could not be saved.
“That riverfront is all in the area we’d like to see,” Mr Watson said. He would also like to see artwork painted on the new Maranoa River bridge to help return some vibrancy to the precinct.
Maranoa Regional Councillor John Birkett said while nothing’s been set in concrete, future upgrades to the spa may help rejuvenate the area.
“Everything’s getting more stale I suppose, and everything needs a revamp,” he said.
He is also concerned about the amount of space available for the large volume of tourists visiting.
“If we could tidy up that entrance to town, that’ll be a good tourist hub,” he said.