The power of an anchor tourism product to transform a regional destination

One anchor tourism product can transform a small regional town into a destination.

Tilma Group worked for several years with Coolamon Shire Council to transform visitation to Coolamon (population of 1,600) near Wagga Wagga, NSW. Within several years, the shire transformed from a total focus on agriculture and is now a thriving weekend destination.

In the beginning, Tilma Group worked with businesses to build their capacity, and developing relationships. Then, we created an events strategy for the shire to use events as a hook for tourism development. A seasonal events calendar was introduced to encourage residents to invite friends and family to visit, and to encourage day trips to the region for events.

Tilma Group helped develop a New Year’s Eve Street Party, sponsored by Council and run by Rotary. The event is just $10 for kids which includes fireworks, children’s activities, a showbag and face-painting. Adults are free to spread out a picnic rug, relax and enjoy the evening, spending time with friends as the whole community joins them in the main street’s park for the celebration.  

Then an opportunity presented itself to attract a cheese factory to town which needed to move from a nearby university. Tilma Group worked hard with Council and the community to make Coolamon Cheese a reality. We assisted the cheesemaker business owners with their business plan and connected them with key stakeholders and funding bodies. Now Coolamon Cheese offers tours in the cheese factory and a modern restaurant. 

Image credits: Coolamon Cheese

With Coolamon Cheese open, the main street started buzzing with new cafes and boutique shopping. This one new attraction revitalised the town.

The increased visitation from this anchor attraction also led Council to double the size of the town’s caravan park, and open new bike and walking trails in the town’s forest. Other attractions round out a visitor’s trip to Coolamon, such as a museum complex.

Image credits: Visit Coolamon Shire

Coolamon Shire Council also developed a partnership with two neighbouring shires to create a region-wide tourism destination, called the Canola Trail. The trail connects the towns through experiences based on food, heritage, nature and recreation, arts and boutique shopping.