The Flinders Ranges – Revealing a National Landscape

G’Day All,
This strategy will go a long way to to develop the Flinders Ranges as a desirable destination to the international markets. We are encouraged that Port Augusta is included as a ‘significant experience precinct’ page 6.

It is of concern though that if the overlying brand does not acknowledge a coastal aspect of the region in its first line branding, then the international wholesalers & administration will not see coastal products as a reflection of the Flinders Ranges Experience. Have a look at the SA Flinders/Outback page http://www.southaustralia.com/FlindersRangesOutback.aspx the SA Flinders Ranges National Landscapes page http://www.southaustralia.com/FlindersRangesNationalLandscape.aspx & especially the Tourism Australia National Landscapes page http://www.australia.com/campaigns/nationallandscapes/FlindersRanges.htm there is not a mention of coastal activities. This is what international wholesalers/booking agents expect of the Flinders Ranges. This thought is not limited to the EDS document but it is backed up in the strategy  “The brand portrayed influences a consumer’s thoughts, images and feelings about a destination long before they visit” page 5.
‘The information they get before the visit will firstly affect the decision to visit, and then shape the places they go, the things they do and the way they travel’. Page 8 Therefore making it very hard for cruising to crack the international market in the Flinders Ranges.

As a coastal product we have been encouraged & supported by the SATC administration through famils & contacts to pursue the international market, but if the overlying Flinders Ranges brand  does not include a coastal message in the international market message it is all but impossible for us to access this market successfully.

Other regions effectively integrate mountains & coastal aspects to promote a unique experience, probably the best is the Kimberley and closer to home the Eyre Peninsula. Very rarely will you see the Eyre Peninsula promoted without the acknowledgement of the Gawler Ranges in its product mix.

Overall the document is good, but raises questions as how the Flinders Ranges brand does justice to its existing products as a whole.

Apologies for my eleventh hour comment on the the Flinders Ranges EDS.  It is certainly not because of lack of interest! 
  
I think the authors should be commended for producing a really good piece of work.  And I think its great that they have elicited so many comments from the region.
 
We all know it is impossible to please everyone, but I feel they have addressed a lot of the issues, and when the strategy is finally adopted I hope ALL these draft issues will have been included.

There are a large number of operators  in the region with a wide range of products that do cater for a range of disparate visitor needs- as the EDS points out these include budget through to high spender Experience Seekers.  And it is correct that we do need to be more cohesive (that there is a sense of disconnection between the different parts of the ranges),  but it should be remembered that the Flinders cover a darned big piece of country, and the strategy should be inclusive and seek to draw us all together. 

We aren’t a ‘one size fits all’ group.  We each have ‘ownership’ of our own piece of the landscape with its particular stories and specialities, and we should be proud of that.  The EDS needs to provide for the growth of a continuous thread, or trail(s) through our country for the varied needs of our visitors.

Of course, I know the issues affecting the Northern Flinders far better than those of the Central and Southern parts so I will address what I know best; but I am sure that a number of these could equally apply in other areas.

1. We certainly need our ‘workforce shortages’ addressed, and the strategy to ‘train and retain’ is very important.  Most of us know how difficult it is to find key staff who want to stay.  I would hope that the EDS will encourage our own Flinders youth to get appropriate training so that they will not be lost to the region.  This was a key issue and directive in  Mountains of Memory and it is even more important now than it was then.
2. The issue of integrated signage is a good point.  Arkaroola is a tourism destination;  it is not a town and it is Out of Councils.  Yet road signage in Leigh Creek, Copley and other places directing visitors to Arkaroola are coloured green (ie indicating a township), not the brown tourism signs adopted decades ago.  If a place like Arkaroola can be incorrectly labelled as a ‘town’ rather than a tourism centre, I have no doubt that there must be other places in the ranges that also fail to attract visitors due to similar oversights.
3. The EDS concentrates on only 2 Recommended Flinders Touring Routes.    I think that failing to recognise in the EDS that a very large number of our visitors come to the Flinders from the north fails to cater for those particular groups.  If we don’t include the overseas visitors who make their way south to the Flinders via the Strzelecki,  Birdsville, and to a lesser extent the Oodnadatta Tracks we are not looking after the interests of these people properly. 
   I know many of these people come through Arkaroola from the north and I think there should be a third/fourth route that leads them down from the northern borders into the Central and Southern Ranges, through Arkaroola, via both Blinman and via Copley/Leigh Creek.

This morning I read Janice Kurrel’s comments about our accessibility, particularly when compared to places like the Kimberley.   I thought her points were very pertinent and that we should be concentrating on what makes us unique or different,  and about what experiences visitors can brag about to their friends on their return home.  And that this is something we should be thinking about.

The Ediacaran experience is undoubtedly special, but, as Mountains of Memory showed us, there is a lot more to the Flinders than just their ancient beautiful fragile imprints.

Whether its Clocks in the Rocks at Quorn, the Recent megafauna,or whether it’s the immense vista of Wilpena Pound; its our amazing geological landscape that underpins it all.  It creates our soils, shapes our topography, supports special vegetation types, and attracted our forebears to the Ranges.   Thanks to the geology we have this fabulously diverse landscape that the plants and animals, including humans have helped to shape.

Up here at Arkaroola we have the most ancient part of the Flinders Landscape nearly a billion years older than the rest.  We see Arkaroola as the ‘First Rung on the Ladder of Complex Life’.  Here an ancient barrier reef one kilometre thick was constructed at what was then the Australian continent’s edge as sea level rapidly rose at the end of  Snowball Earth.  The Great Barrier Reef is only one tenth as thick as this!  How incredible that 650 million odd years ago life was building vast structures like that - so very much bigger than life does today.  And this is just one of the many stories Arkaroola has in its landscape.  And there are many more in the rest of the ranges.   Lets find them.  And let the Strategy be broad enough to cater for them.

Janice Kurrel is right we need to focus on what makes our mountains so special.

Thanks for the opportunity to comment. 
 Marg Sprigg

It looks like I’m the first to comment on the draft document. Here goes!

Overall, I think the draft document has begun to capture our region well. It incorporates a lot of the comments that were made regarding the Discussion Paper, so thanks go to the consultants for taking that feedback on board.

Conceptually the document is good, although I think there are a few products that have been overlooked that require greater emphasis, as well as some changes required to make the language of the document more reflective of the market being targeted. We can debate whether the Experience Seeker market is relevant for our region or not in perpetuity, but that is the scope of the EDS so that’s what I’ll comment on.

‘The Markets’ section on page 7 details information on international Experience Seekers which is pertinent to the context of the document. The second paragraph of this page, commencing with the words ‘Experience Seekers are looking for…’ requires some changes to ensure the document user is guided adequately as to the requirements of this market. I recommend changing the second sentence of the second paragraph to ‘Some, but not all, Experience Seekers are high-yield consumers.’ I then recommend changing the third paragraph to state ‘Currently most of those visiting the Flinders Ranges are budget conscious to mid-range spenders’. Then finally I recommend adding a clarifying sentence at the end of this paragraph which reads ‘The potential yield of this market will increase as experiences develop in line with the EDS’.

Page 8 discusses the stories of the land, and how these can be communicated with the target market. These stories are important, and I place a high value on the myth of the outback as a commercial tourism proposition. I suggest that the second point about ‘Settling the Land’ should be changed to state ‘Settlement and pastoral history, life and legends’ to provide a better idea to potential tour operators of the things they need to include in their interpretation.

In the ‘Current Opportunities’ section on page 10, Melrose is not mentioned. Melrose is arguably the most developed Enternational Experience Seeker product in the Southern part of the Flinders Ranges, and is often the first commercial introduction Experience Seekers have to the Flinders Ranges. A leading opportunity for Experience Seekers at this destination is mountain biking, which I believe needs to be reflected in the report by adding this to the bullet point list on this page.

On page 11, in the paragraph discussing iconic trails, the statement is made that ‘The Flinders By Bike Trail is not working as planned thus there is no cycle product in the market place.’ I would contend that this is not the case, as cycling in the Southern part of the region is well established and highly popular with Experience Seekers. There are plenty of day cycle routes (Melrose, Orroroo, Bendleby Ranges, Wirrabara Forest, Bundaleer Forest, Jamestown, Laura and Stone Hut to name a few). These are well established, popular cycle trails. In addition to this, the Mawson Trail is a very popular multi-day cycle trail that stretches from Adelaide to Blinman, incorporating much of the Flinders Ranges. I agree that this trail needs enhancements, however it does exist and it is well established. It could also be mentioned here that the Southern Flinders Rail Trail is under construction, and once completed will provide 125 kilometres of off the road, scenic cycling and walking trails to assist Experience Seekers to explore the landscape. The Heysen Trail also seems to be missing from this section (a trail that many tour operators use as part of their package tours).

Page 12 provides some good insights, however Port Pirie has been left out of the paragraph about service nodes for the region. Port Pirie and Port Augusta, as the two largest towns in the region, both service Experience Seekers in a key role as visitor hubs. Port Pirie needs to be added to this paragraph.

‘Key Issues’ identified are good, and I would add one more to ‘Marketing’ on page 15. The extra point to be added is:

• Lack of operator awareness of how to market products internationally, including low knowledge of global tourism distribution systems, international advertising opportunities and the value of offering commissionable, online bookable product.
• I would also add the following point, to capture the operators who whilst it may not be worth their while individually undertaking international advertising opportunities, could easily do so as a package with other operators.
• Lack of operators packaging their products to suit the international market.

These two points can then be added as ‘Action Plan’ points, so that we can work on packaging products more effectively and marketing them internationally.
The ‘Areas for Improvement’ section is good (page 16), with some exciting opportunities identified. Where Melrose is mentioned, I suggest adding the words ‘cycling and’ after ‘Develop and promote Melrose as an active…’ and before the words ‘…adventure destination with opportunities…’. This will clarify the existing product for improvement better.

The Flinders Ranges Touring Route on pages 18 and 19 has taken into consideration the comments made about the Discussion Paper, and I thank the consultants for this. There are a few slight changes I would recommend to make this touring route even better than it currently is. Firstly, I think the R.M. Williams Way road would provide Experience Seekers with more opportunities to undertake commercial transactions (such as in towns like Clare and Jamestown), and so I think the route that goes via Peterborough needs to take the road that travels north from Clare up through Spalding and Jamestown. Then at Jamestown the road veers right towards Peterborough. Of course, in between Orroroo and Jamestown there is a road that goes direct leaving Peterborough out, and this could be included in a faint line, much like the road from Wilmington to Orroroo, but the hero route should take in from Clare to Jamestown via Spalding, and then go to Peterborough and on to Orroroo and Hawker. Jamestown has products such as the North Bundaleer Homestead, Belalie Creek Restaurant, Bundaleer Forest and the story of R.M. Williams.

If this change is accepted, the road between Gladstone and Jamestown can become a faint line, as both destinations are taken in on different legs of the same touring route. The road direct to Peterborough from south of Clare that is currently in bold can be made a faint line too.

The ‘Potential New Activities, Products and Services’ section on pages 20-26 I believe contains some of the most exciting information in the whole document. There are some really good ideas there. Under ‘Aerial Adventure’ on page 20, I think the word ‘or’ needs to be replaced with ‘and’. For example, instead of the line ‘sky-diving and paragliding/parapenting over or near Wilpena Pound OR Mount Remarkable National Park’ (bold and caps added for highlighting purposes), the word ‘or’ should be replaced with ‘and’. The same goes for the comment about heli-hiking.
In addition, I think hang-gliding, abseiling, rock-climbing, geocaching, orienteering, windsurfing, canoeing, kayaking and landyachting are all experiences that require development – these Adventure Tourism activities could prove popular with the International Experience Seeker market.

The comments on page 22 about cycling in the Flinders Ranges are excellent, and I think would be strengthened by making it clear that the Southern Flinders Rail Trail is integral to the success of cycling in the region. So, I recommend the following:

• After the second paragraph in the break out box (ending with the words ‘…accommodation across the region’), an additional paragraph needs to be added. This paragraph should state, “The Southern Flinders Rail Trail is a key part of the development of cycling opportunities for Experience Seekers in the Flinders Ranges. This trail, from Wilmington to Yacka initially, but later to connect with the Clare Valley Riesling and Rattler trails in the south, and with an enhanced Mawson Trail in the north through towns such as Hawker, Quorn and Blinman, will provide Experience Seekers with links to quality accommodation, dining options and adventure opportunities.” Then continue with the third and fourth paragraphs as they are.

In addition to this, the Southern Flinders Rail Trail must therefore feature as a priority on page 29 under the heading ‘Infrastructure’.

• Seek funding for and construct the Southern Flinders Rail Trail, connect this trail with the Riesling and Rattler trails in the south, and continue enhancements of the Mawson Trail in the north.

Another priority for development is accommodation, as we lack beds to cater for the number of visitors each year. So under ‘Infrastructure’, the following line should be added:

• Attract private investment in developing more quality accommodation for the region, to cater for current demand and future increased opportunities

Finally, a key document that needs to be included in Appendix 1 is the Regional Development Australia Yorke and Mid North Road Map (available at http://www.yorkeandmidnorth.com.au/uploads/files/docs/Regional%20Roadmap%20-%20Yorke%20and%20Mid%20North.pdf). This document has been used as the basis for much of the feedback provided from the Southern Flinders Regional Tourism Authority and so is an essential document to list in this Appendix.

I’m sure I’ll think of more as time goes by, but there’s my first cut! Thanks for the opportunity to provide feedback.

Stephen

It is good to see that there are so many great ideas and suggestions for the development of one of our most unique South Australia regions. Thanks to the passion of you guys I am sure that the authors will have a lot of food for thought when developing suggestions on how to boost tourism for the Flinders Ranges region – no matter wether north, south, in between or wherever.
In fact, I think we should not go down the tricky path that – while we need to develop a strategy to raise awareness of the region as a whole among international travelers – we start a discussion about which road or city would be the one to focus on or not. Once we start that discussion, we might quickly loose sight of the bigger picture which is to first get guests to travel to the Flinders Ranges anyway! As some of you pointed out correctly, we are facing the fact that South Australia is struggling to a) attract guests for a longer stay and b) encourage dispersal as currently the main international focus lies on Kangaroo Island. Yet, I do not see this as a negative situation as we in the international tourism experience this fact everywhere in the world: Sydney is the drawing card for NSW but also pulls people to the Blue Mountain, people travel to Uluru but through this icon, Tourism NT is able to pull attention to other regions like Kakadu, etc, too.
So, let’s not worry about the fact that Kangaroo Island is currently the most known South Australian icon for so many international travelers – in fact, it serves to raise awareness among the tourism trade and customers about SA as a holiday destination in total.
Therefore, we should certainly focus on how to establish the Flinders Ranges as a counterpart to the island – this will not work if we start discussing on whether the travelers need to stay more in this or that area – even though I do understand your reasoning for that as we all want to give a fair share of the tourism “cake” to everybody. But I believe that this kind of discussion will aim too short and will draw energies away from the main goal: to set up the FR as an iconic Must See region in South Australia.
I can only underline what my French colleague already mentioned in this discussion and would like to add a few comments:
With regards to the international traveler, we are looking at several challenges:

• they have limited time only and they often are not fond of travelling too far within one area to reach their point of interest (unless they are off to a long-distance journey like the Explorers Way or others)
• they will become more and more cost-sensitive – so we should not concentrate on luxury and high-end products too much – for them, it will become more and more important to receive great value for (not too much) money! So high-quality mid-class accommodation will become very attractive for them.
• too much diversity irritates them! a bit like being in a supermarket where you see hundreds of shampoos – how on Earth do you decide what to take….. I experienced that when  I showed them too many options for a region, they’d rather hesitate to travel because they became afraid they would miss something. Therefore, let’s keep the message short and sharp! Once they decided to travel and are there, we can still provide them with profound information about the many great options (app is a great idea Pierre!)

Easy access and profound information on spot will be key! options would be good info tools (as Pierre suggested) and/or a centrally located and easy to reach information centre (great example: the one in Clare Valley). Good suggestions about interpretative signage but please keep in mind that we are looking at customers that – mostly – do not speak English fluently! When it comes to specific information on geological sites, a lot of them will probably not have a clue what some of the expressions will mean. So again: keep it short and sharp. We should rather consider having language-specific flyers or brochures about special interest highlights. I don’t want to add too much to all the great suggestions that most of you guys already made but would like to add at least one comment about the hiking/biking options:  a lot of the international travelers are active travelers, so the development of hiking and biking tracks would surely be of great benefit but signage and quality will be key. Even though these guys love bush walking, they need to feel secure and safe. In Germany they developed a fantastic system of so-called “Dreaming Trails” with a superbe website that already showed a great effect for the regional tourism. If anyone wants to get a visual impression (unfortunately it is not in English yet), here is the link: http://www.traumpfade.info/traumpfade-rhein-mosel-eifel.html  - it also shows what a dedicated website can do for regions and their private sector.

I definitely agree with Pierre on the idea of a loop – he is absolutely right: international travelers hate backtracking! – with highlighting the many side tracks and options they would have. Unless my personal dream would be fulfilled (a bitumen connection between the Flinders Ranges and Coober Pedy as this would surely bring all those travelers into the region that want to travel the Explorer’s Way – and they are plenty!), this Loop would be great platform to draw attention among the international travelers.
I look forward to seeing the outcome of this great project and rest assured that we guys in the international markets will do our utmost to support all your efforts to promote this wonderful region.

Hello from Paris, Julie’s favourite city

Thanks Julie for letting me know about this lively debate; all proposed initiatives sound very promising indeed. From an international visitors perspective, I can confirm that the main challenge for including the Flinders Ranges region in a touristic itinerary remains access concerns.

If air access can be improved, with the implementation of a regular service from Adelaide, that would certainly make a huge difference. Until this happens, improving the road access seems to be the way to go; in that perspective, setting up an easy to identify loop circuit from Adelaide to the FR and back would definitely be a real plus; as many self-drivers are reluctant to backtrack and wish to experience as many different sights as possible in their often limited time.

Given the poor geographic knowledge of the international consumer and travel agent alike, it would be very beneficial for them to get a clear overview of which different routes to drive to get the most of what the region has to offer. This could be done thanks to a great website – and great tourist map, too – highlighting these selected routes. An audio guide smartphone app would be a nice addition, too.
It would probably be best to work closely with Clare Valley Tourism bodies in setting up this loop circuit from Adelaide, in order to keep the whole itinerary consistent in terms of infrastructures and attractions on offer along the way.

Now in parallel to the above, and with the idea of significantly broadening the Flinders Ranges profile on the international scene, dare I suggest to look beyond the National Landscapes concept (a great one but works mostly for the domestic market) and that the next step should be for the region to apply to be listed as UNESCO World Heritage site, even if it sounds a bit out the way?
This certainly requires a lot of federal action and it is probably a long and tedious process, involving many actors at various administrative levels; but I reckon it would be worth having a close look at this possibly great opportunity, as the UNESCO listing is highly regarded worldwide, and considered by many travellers as the ultimate stamp of approval for not-to-be-missed destinations.
Out of the ten criteria listed for applying (see the Operational Guidelines for the Implementation of the World Heritage Convention, http://whc.unesco.org/archive/opguide08-en.pdf#annex5,) the Flinders Ranges region complies with at least four of them, when one only is required for applying:

• Contain superlative natural phenomena or areas of exceptional natural beauty and aesthetic importance;
• Be outstanding examples representing major stages of earth’s history, including the record of life, significant on-going geological processes in the development of landforms, or significant geomorphic or physiographic features;
• Be outstanding examples representing significant ongoing ecological and biological processes in the evolution and development of terrestrial, fresh water, coastal and marine ecosystems and communities of plants and animals;
• Contain the most important and significant natural habitats for in-situ conservation of biological diversity, including those containing threatened species of outstanding universal value from the point of view of science or conservation.

Also, out of the 18 current UNESCO World Heritage listed Australian sites, only one is located in SA (QLD has 5, NSW 4, NT 2, TAS 2, VIC 1) so there should be room for a second SA one, and the Flinders ranges region looks like a very serious contender to me!

Food for thought:))
Cheers and see some of you soon during ATE.
Pierre

When does the top of the Gulf get to feature in future Tourism Marketing Plans for the Flinders Region. Port Germein captures many 1 nighters who stay for up to a week enjoying simple pleasures, catching Blue Swimmer Crabs, beach walks, Conservation Parks and short day trips to Vineyards.

I agree with Jane’s comment re the Cradock, Carrieton, Orroroo, Peterborough, Jamestown route – I drive this regularly and think it’s a great way in and out of the region and should be considered as part of the access options.
Marketing needs to pick up on the Outback, Wilderness features and I don’t think enough is said about the fauna in the messaging – the Flinders has more animal activity than many other areas claiming the outback or wilderness tag.
Food quality and service need to be a constant focus for operators but also convenience and trading times. Improvements to staff accommodation is key and this could be an area that state or fed funding could assist with – we certainly have our own challenges here.
Agree with comments made re interpretation – the Flinders has very good road infrastructure (yes the issue of maintenance and closures after rain events needs to be on the agenda) so we should aim for world class touring guides and interpretation on roadsides and touring routes, attractions.
Adding to the existing station, homestead and unique accommodation is key to attracting new operators to the region who have an obsession with KI in SA or outback experiences elsewhere in Australia.
Should Lake Eyre be in the mix somewhere? Yes I know it’s about the water but with the economic benefits we’re seeing surely we need to work on making this a part of the must see experiences every year/all year especially as it can assist in levelling out the peaks and troughs to some degree?
Otherwise some very good content in the document.