Gloucester's Story of the SnowFest

"Gloucester trucks real snow 735 kilometres from Perisher Blue. At the first SnowFest, the town prepared for 2,000 people and was nearly overwhelmed by 8,000 visitors." - Lorna Tomkinson, Gloucester

Facing the challenges

Gloucester is a town of 2,500 people in the Upper Hunter Valley. Our town is set in a very beautiful valley with spectacular clean rivers providing water sports for locals and visitors. It is the closest centre to the World Heritage Barrington Tops area, one hour away.

Gloucester from Morgrani

The ethic of helping others is very strong and this makes for a tight-knit community with a caring, friendly outlook. Proof of this is the town's 170 voluntary associations.

Gloucester, like much of New South Wales, is experiencing the worst drought since records began and this coupled with the downturn in the rural economy is creating big challenges for us.

But many Shire residents are descended from early settlers to the area and despite the setbacks, the pioneering spirit and local pride are still strong.

Our project

Innovative ideas and initiatives have been set in place for, among other things, a tourism-led recovery.

Even beef property owners have incorporated tourism into their structure and in some instances this is now the larger income earner.

But the major focus for the revitalisation of Gloucester as a tourist destination is the annual SnowFest. Crazy as it may seem at first glance, the idea of snow on the sunny coast of the Upper Hunter in July, has been a hit.

SnowFest was first held in 2000 and gave families who do not get the opportunity to go to the ski fields a chance to play in real snow. We truck real snow 735 kilometres from Perisher Blue.

Snow truck arriving

What we've achieved

At the first SnowFest, the town prepared for 2,000 people and was nearly overwhelmed by 8,000 visitors.

Children playing in the snow

The idea was to attract spending into the town and showcase the area.

For every $5 visitors spent they would receive a 'snow dollar' which could be used at an auction at the end of the event.

Auction prizes included a trip to Zurich. Spending topped $110,000 in the first year.

One of the activities includes a treasure hunt for real rubies which are donated by a local mining company.

SnowFest day is full of events and parades and ends with a BeerFest.

The whole community gets behind the festival and local businesses have made generous donations.

Retailers report that tourists who attended any of three events often return to the area, commenting that their first trip had been to one of these events. The self esteem of the townspeople has been raised, in that they are now aware that they can provide successful tourism activities which complement the natural tourist attractions in the area, such as the Barrington Tops World Heritage area, which is popular for walking and camping; the Barrington and other rivers for kayaking and fishing, and horseriding on various private properties.

Now in its fourth year, SnowFest headlines other major events in the surrounding area, namely, the Shakespeare Festival in nearby Stratford, and the Mountain Man Triathlon, that began in 1991, which brings competitors from New South Wales, interstate and overseas.

Figures from the Visitor Information Centre show that since 1999 visitor numbers to Gloucester have increased by 14 per cent.

How the Townlife Development Program has helped

Funding provided through the Townlife Development Program to employ an event administrator has given the festivals the necessary structure required to ensure their future.

All three local events now have 'living documents' detailing how the events are staged, who the contacts for services are, and most importantly, a risk management strategy.

The event administrator became the event organiser for SnowFest 2002, involving many local organisations in the festival so they can use the event as a fundraiser for themselves.

She has attended forums and courses that not only helped the three festivals, but passed on her experience and knowledge to the community.

This has brought us all together with a central focus and will be of benefit for years to come.

What we're doing now

We will be consolidating and expanding these festivals to provide more activities for different demographics, to ensure that visitors will return again knowing they'll have a great time.

SnowFest will be a weekend festival in 2003.

There is the possibility of Essentially Barrington, the new agribusiness co-operative, becoming a major part of the Food and Wine Fair to be held this year on the SnowFest Sunday.

The future is looking brighter for Gloucester Shire. As confidence grows among the people, we are sure that more innovative ideas will come forth in tourism and other business sectors.

Snowman competition

For further information

Contact	:	Lorna Tomkinson
Phone	:	6558 4150
Email	:	lorna@midcoast.com.au