Ghost tours want restrictions lifted
Ongoing restrictions due to COVID-19 are having an adverse effect on the viability of some of Walhalla’s most popular tourist attractions.
Walhalla Heritage and Development League vice president Brian Brewer described current restrictions as “bizarre” and expected they would continue after November 9, the date the Premier Daniel Andrews has set to announce whether there would be further easing of restrictions.
The Walhalla Ghost Tours that returned last weekend for a Halloween special after being suspended for a number of months are among those suffering.
Mr Brewer said under the rules for regional Victoria each tour group was limited to 10 people.
That meant if 21 people wanted to go on the ghost tours three volunteer guides would have to be provided.
Mr Brewer said that before COVID the four volunteer guides were rostered to accompany tours once a month.
“Now they are all on standby every weekend and the unnecessary small groups made the tours unviable”.
Also impacted are gold panning demonstrations and town walks for school groups.
They’ve been cancelled under the current level of restrictions on group numbers.
Mr Brewer said that if a visiting school group comprised 30 students and three teachers/helpers the league would have to provide four guides rather than one.
He said it was bizarre that these requirements applied in regional Victoria where COVID infections were zero or close to zero.
The Walhalla Ghost Tour is restricted to 10 guests even though licenced venues can have 70 people outside and a funeral or religious ceremony can have 50 outdoors, Mr Brewer pointed out.
He said the development league had put questions about the “irregularity” to government Upper House member for Eastern Victoria Harriet Shing but as of late last week had not received a response.
According to Mr Brewer, Walhalla is not the only affected town in Gippsland where business and community groups provide open air tours with little risk to participants.
Similar views have been expressed by State Opposition deputy leader and Leader of The Nationals Peter Walsh.
He said country people “continued to be gutted” by the Premier’s arrogant focus on the city with his roadmap for further easing regional restrictions depending on there being no new cases across the whole state, including Melbourne, for 14 days.
Regional areas have been socially and economically battered, even communities that have never had a COVID case, and need to be unshackled and have their own roadmap to recovery, Mr Walsh stated.