Council’s draft Festivals and Events Strategy opened for public comment on Tuesday, February 3 with the 40-page action plan documenting the next steps for shire events over the rest of the decade.
It centres on three key priorities: positioning Campaspe as a must-visit event destination, developing essential event infrastructure, and ensuring every community across the shire benefits from local events.
The strategy identified a significant challenge: insufficient indoor infrastructure to properly support the more-than 100 events held across the shire each year.
New or upgraded infrastructure suitable for large crowds would allow council to weather-proof events, reducing the risk of cancellations and enabling year-round programming during quieter seasons.
The plan calls for targeted investment in both indoor and outdoor event facilities, with eight specific locations earmarked for “further development“ to make them proper event-ready infrastructure.
These locations are:
- Aquatic Reserve, Echuca
- Victoria Park, Echuca
- Echuca Paramount and Performing Arts Centre, Echuca
- Echuca Racecourse, Echuca
- Rotary Park, Echuca
- The Loco Shed, Echuca
- Elmore Events Centre
- Gargarro Botanic Garden, Girgarre
The strategy acknowledges the heavy focus on Echuca locations due to its existing amenity and infrastructure available to support large scale events; but also acknowledges consideration should be given to smaller townships.
According to the report, 75 per cent of the shire’s year-round event visitation occurs in Echuca, which hosts 46 per cent of the events.
The plan advocates for spreading events more evenly throughout the shire and across all seasons, addressing the current concentration of events in Echuca during warmer months.
It also points to diversifying the kinds of events that council runs.
To draw more events to the region, the plan recommends establishing a dedicated budget for event attraction, alongside strengthening partnerships with neighbouring councils.
Mayor Daniel Mackrell invited residents to share their thoughts on the strategy, highlighting the draft would show the way forward for delivering events for the entire shire.
“Festivals and events are a critical component of the tourism industry in our shire and bring enormous benefits not only economically but also for our community members’ wellbeing – celebrating diversity, heritage and culture, and fostering a sense of belonging and pride in our shire and what it can offer residents and visitors alike,” he said.
“Offering the opportunity for local creatives to showcase their skills while at the same time stimulating the local economy through tourism, hospitality and retail, our festivals and events help to make Campaspe Shire a fantastic place to live or visit.”
The plan will be up for public comment until Sunday, March 15 and will be considered by councillors later in the year.
To read the Festivals and Events Strategy, visit Campaspe Shire Council’s website at campaspe.vic.gov.au/NowOpen
