Boost for major events
Three major events in the Wimmera and southern Mallee have received a boost from the State Government’s $20-million Regional Events Fund.
The Rainbow Desert Enduro, Nhill Airshow and Ararat’s Seriously Shiraz wine festival will all be supported by the fund.
The enduro is an annual offroad race that sees drivers complete seven laps of a 78-kilometre course between Rainbow and Big Desert on the western border of Victoria.
The race will be from August 9-11 and organisers expect it to bring about 2000 people to Rainbow.
Nhill Airshow will celebrate 100 years of aviation in the town with a demonstration of vintage, recreational and wartime aircraft performing aerobatics and skydiving manoeuvres.
The show, on November 2, will commemorate the first landing of an aircraft at Nhill racecourse on November 7, 1919.
It is expected to attract more than 4000 people to Nhill.
The two-day Seriously Shiraz festival is also tipped to draw huge crowds to the Ararat region on August 31 and September 1.
The festival offers attendees the opportunity to participate in winemaking masterclasses and tastings, and will showcase the region’s produce.
Member for Western Victoria Jaala Pulford announced the funding for all three events last week.
She said they would help boost the region’s economy.
“Tourism is vital to regional Victoria. It creates local jobs and supports local businesses,” she said.
“We’re proud to be supporting events like Seriously Shiraz, attracting visitors to the Ararat region through the low season and showcasing the best of our region’s winemaking talent.
“Events like the Rainbow Desert Enduro and Nhill Airshow also bring visitors to the Wimmera and southern Mallee and capitalise on the tourism strengths of the local communities.”
Ms Pulford said tourism was vital to regional Victoria, with figures showing that in the year ending September 2018, regional Victoria attracted 51.9 million visitors who spent $10.1 billion.
“The impressive results come off the back of the Labor government’s investment in tourism, which has helped deliver over 180 events across regional Victoria and major tourism campaigns,” she said.