THE ‘Sunny Daily’ has recorded many readers’ comments about Mildura missing out on a prize at the recent Victorian tourism awards.
The main gig went to Bendigo, understandably so. Not so long ago the then acting CEO, the mayor and a number of councillors went on a quick visit to Bendigo to engage with the authorities there to figure out how they do things.
It was clear from our conversation that Bendigo is making huge investment in resources like the arts, cultural development and events. They actually take direct responsibility for funding and for the management of events.
For instance, if you were to book a ticket for the massive Bendigo Writers Festival, you’d get a Council employee on the phone. Events like the Elvis Show are part of this push to increase visits.
Looking ahead, they have just announced the staging of Wagner The Ring Cycle which will unfold over four days next year. The intent is to capture people for the duration of all performances.
It is a bold, fantastically risky move in conjunction with Opera Victoria. That’s why Bendigo is on top.
Clearly, they have the spaces and the resources for large scale initiatives – and a certain amount of front!
To declare Bendigo’s UNESCO City of Gastronomy is, in my professional view, pushing the envelope a tad too far, but they are now trying to make the whole of the goldfields a massive Unesco site. I say, well done and good luck.
Bendigo’s success is found in many initiatives, but the main driving force has been their Art Gallery.
Funny thing is that we, in Mildura, have done the same things for the last 30 years, and 30 years and more before that. Just look at the creation of the Mildura Arts Centre and the sculpture triennial, now well forgotten by most people here.
Then we had massive undertakings by Arts Mildura – I can think of the palimpsest or Perry Sandhills. This happened with little Council support in general, exceptions here and there, led by CEOs who could not see the world changing around them.
They starved the Arts Centre of funds – they build a new one, to their credit, but put no money in ongoing, high quality activities and certainly did not deliver a vision to land Mildura where it should be right now.
You need a total vision to develop an economy based on modern tourism, a risky, bold, courageous one.
Yes, I am furious at the myopic attitude that starved cultural development, that denied the expansion of facilities to compete with our neighbours.
On the other hand, Mildura will never be Bendigo or Ballarat. For all their glory, they do not seem to me to be cities of fun. We are!
When you come here, you can let your hair down. As much as I don’t personally like motor sports, they are fun – fun, for a lot of people.
In our region you can camp in beautiful surroundings; you can swim, play golf, tennis and basketball, go out on a canoe; place a naughty bet and enjoy a cleansing ale on a house boat. And you can attend Australia’s smallest, most intimate, prestigious writer’s festival, much more refined than most of its bigger counterparts, including Bendigo.
So, all you knockers out there rejoice! We live in a city of fun, where with vision, effort and a positive attitude and an open mind we can achieve anything.
Look at the positive things constantly happening around us, from a three million field of lights to a revamped riverfront, sporting facilities from here to Murrayville. Go and visit our recently refurbished Info Centre.
When you finish reading this, be happy you live in a special place and let’s start thinking about the big picture. This includes how to not be an economy of price takers, but one of big ideas and innovation.
Some are already happening under our noses, but serious economic headwinds are already here for many parts of our industries. However, that’s another story.
