How can the Kyogle Visitor Information Centre be improved?

At the May 12 Kyogle Council meeting, mayor Danielle Mulholland put forward a motion about the VIC as it is called.

“The VIC has been under-utilised for years,” Ms Mulholland said.

The VIC is the first point of contact for visitors to Kyogle and Ms Mulholland wants to see it stock locally produced products.

“Woodenbong and Bonalbo have invested in a lot of their own merchandising. Tabulam and Mallanganee are still doing some work in this space but there are ample small businesses being run from home which promote the diversity and rich cultural heritage of the Kyogle Council area,” Ms Mulholland said.

“If neighbouring Councils wish to enter into a reciprocal arrangement with Kyogle Council, we will feature some of their products if they feature some of ours in their tourism facilities.”

Councillor Rob Cullen said one of the issues of the VIC was that it is staffed by volunteers.

“I’d love to see it open more,” he said.

Mr Cullen said he still had an old tourist pamphlet that showed 10 different drives in Kyogle LGA.

Councillor Tom Cooper said the location of the VIC was an issue.

“The most unfortunate thing is the VIC is in the wrong place because of flooding,” he said.

Councillor Brett McNamara said he used to manage the National Parks Visitor Centre.

“There was a decline (in centre visitors) when people went online,” he said.

“We pivoted to make it about experience. Nature based tourism is one part of the thread.”

Councillor Janet Wilson said it is about the visitor economy and how to manage it.

After further discussion the seven-point motion was passed. Below is the motion in full.

That Council:

1. Develop marketing strategies to highlight what the Kyogle LGA has to offer.
2. Develop promotional and marketing material around “experiences” available across the LGA.
3. Stock the Visitor Information Centre (VIC) with merchandise promoting Kyogle and the villages.
4. Stock to be sourced from the villages’ Progress Associations for the VIC and have corresponding information about each village, the facilities and services they offer etc.
5. Investigate the costs associated with placing promotional and marketing material in Ballina, Gold Coast and Brisbane Airports, particularly as we approach the 2032 Olympic Games.
6. Ensures that the VIC stock only products from the Kyogle LGA or products from another LGA where a reciprocal arrangement can be put in place.
7. Have a strategic discussion about the Visitor Information Centre at the next (council) workshop.

Ms Wilson and Councillor John Burley said point 7 was the driver of future decisions about the VIC.

This article appeared on indyNR.com on 15 May 2025.