A New Future for the Otways Tourism Initiative - 19 Projects
Visitor Services, Marketing and Signage
| Cape Otway Lighthouse Entrance Works New Toilet Facilities Visitor Services Strategy Regional Marketing Support Park Signage Visitor Monitoring Cape Otway Lighthouse Entrance Works The Cape Otway Lighthouse was constructed in 1848 after the narrow stretch of water between Cape Otway and King Island claimed many ships and many lives. The entrance and carpark area is currently being upgraded to cater for the growing number of visitors and to provide a better overall visitor experience. The road leading to the entrance of the lighthouse precinct has recently been sealed and the carpark will be upgraded to cater for more visitors including room for several tourist coaches. The design will also include public toilets and an information shelter. New Toilet Facilities Toilet facilities at a range of camping and day visitor sites in the Otway hinterland have recently been upgraded. A total of 10 new toilets have been installed to replace old toilet blocks. The new toilets provide improved facilities for visitors and include disabled access. The toilets are also more suited to the Otway Hinterland environment, consisting of an environmentally friendly “pump-out” system.  Visitor Services Strategy In response to the creation of the new Great Otway National Park and Otway Forest Park, a Visitor Services Strategy is being developed by Parks Victoria to guide the provision of visitor services within both the National Park and Forest Park areas. It will provide the framework for achieving economically, environmentally and socially sustainable management of the public land estate over time. The Visitor Services Strategy aims to identify visitor stakeholder interests and needs, establish proposed "levels of service" targets for all visitor sites covered by the Strategy and will ensure that a range of recreational opportunities across both National Park and Forest Park are provided consistent with visitor needs. The Camping Strategy originally identified through the Otways Tourism Initiative will now be covered by this Visitor Services Strategy. Regional Marketing Support The Otway Hinterland is closely situated to the world famous Great Ocean Road / Twelve Apostles region. The Otways Tourism Initiative aims to leverage off this popularity by drawing visitors from the Great Ocean Road into the Hinterland and creating such links between the coast and the forests through joint regional marketing is one strategy. Another method is to create a walk and ride guide to highlight the fantastic opportunities within the Otway Hinterland, encouraging use of the new tracks and trails being developed through the Otways Tourism Initiative. Park Signage With the creation of the new Great Otway National Park and Otway Forest Park areas, new signage identifying the revised land tenure is essential. To clearly identify and promote the boundaries of the Great Otway National Park, signs have been installed on key thoroughfares, at visitor nodes and selected access points throughout the Otways region. There were over 60 metal and 100 routed signs installed across the new park. The project involved consultation with Surf Coast Shire, Colac Otway Shire, Corangamite Shire and Vic Roads.  Visitor Monitoring To allow for effective evaluation of Otway Tourism Initiative investments, visitor monitoring equipment will be installed at key locations to measure the expected increase in visitor numbers to the Otways Hinterland. Major projects due for evaluation include the Great Ocean Walk and the Old Beechy Line Rail Trail. Contact Us Call the Customer Service Centre on 131 186 or email: tourism.otways@dse.vic.gov.au Please note: Document(s) on this page are presented in PDF format. If you do not have the Adobe Reader, you can download a copy free from the Adobe web site. |     |