Australian Bushrangers National Hall of Fame Market Assessment and Business Prospectus

North East Victoria is Bushranging country. The region has played host to the most significant bush outlaws in Australia's history - the Kelly gang - as well as a gallery of other notorious rogues such as Harry Power and Mad Dog Morgan.

A group of local business people and community historians in Benalla have been working for several years to develop the concept of a major exposition of Bushranging history. The group want to develop a major historical centre that explores the history and provides the experience of bushranging, not just as it was in the region, but throughout Australia. The centre is planned to be a significant tourism attraction for the north east, with national and international appeal. The group had enlisted the help of the local Council - Delatite Shire - and had approached Tourism Victoria for assistance. The Council and Tourism Victoria were keen to see the project succeed but needed to understand the potential of the project to attract investors before making further investment.

Essential Economics were engaged to provide an understanding of the market for a tourism attraction and a prospectus for the concept that could be used to attract investment from interested developers.

We used a variety of techniques to gauge the wider interest in visiting a Bushranging Hall of Fame, including statistical analysis, surveys (Newspoll survey of the Victorian market and surveys of the existing visitor base in Benalla), and comparison with other historical attractions elsewhere in Victoria and Australia. We were able to demonstrate that the Hall of Fame could generate a significant level of visitation. Our estimate for annual visitor numbers was 270,000 for a high quality development on the right site.

With the assistance of a graphic designer, our market analysis and presentation of concept themes was packaged into a high quality brochure aimed at the investment community.

The market assessment and brochure were launched on a sunny summer's day in Benalla by Pat McNamara MP and author Ian Jones (Bushranging historian), complete with a Bushranging reenactment.

We have undertaken follow-up work with the Council in assessing competing sites for the project, with the preferred site in the Reef Hills Park close to the Hume Freeway and the Midland Highway.

Further details: Ian Geer, Tourism Development Officer, Delatite Shire Council
Tel: (03) 5760 2639