The Upper Hunter continues to grow as a destination for visitors. With marquee events including King of the Ranges, Warbirds Over Scone, Festival of the Fleeces, the Highland Games, the Scone Horse Festival and the Scone Cup, residents can expect increasing numbers of people coming to our Shire to enjoy the natural beauty, the lifestyle and the high standard of our local produce and events.
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As the region becomes more and more a destination for visitors, it builds further upon the reliable trade our local small businesses enjoy from passing highway traffic, with large numbers calling in for a coffee, lunch, and art and cultural experiences on their way to the Country Music Festival in Tamworth, the Elvis Festival in Parkes or AgQuip in Gunnedah, and other regional events in neighbouring shires.
The importance of the visitor economy to the Upper Hunter cannot be understated. Whereas some rural and regional communities are really struggling, our comparative advantages – proximity to major population centres and the quality of our tourism offering – set us apart and are making a major contribution to the health of our local economy and the creation of new jobs. There are gains to be made from promoting the Upper Hunter to outside the region to attract not just new visitors, but new residents, whose contribution to the social and economic life of the community is greater still.
The Upper Hunter is becoming increasingly attractive to people desperate to escape the rat races of Sydney and Melbourne, and increasingly Newcastle. In Murrurundi, Sydneysiders are choosing our town to escape to in growing numbers and this is set to grow. There are any number of jobs that pay well, that people otherwise stuck in George Street in the city, could easily do anywhere with a reliable and fast broadband service, all without the daily grind of the commute across the city that lasts for hours or being confined to an apartment with nowhere for the kids to run.
Our region is primed to take advantage of growing disaffection with the big cities. Our affordable housing and great lifestyle, with reasonable connections to Newcastle and Sydney, provide a great opportunity for new jobs and growth.
Like each of the star annual events held in the Upper Hunter, this month’s King of the Ranges festival in Murrurundi, will be a further opportunity to showcase our region to visitors from far away and give them every reason to think of the place we call home, as a viable and exciting alternative to the hustle and bustle of city living.
