On 15 March 2007 the Rural and Regional Committee of the Parliament of Victoria received terms of reference to inquire into rural and regional tourism.

Goldfields Tourism has taken the opportunity to lodge a submission. The Rural and Regional Committee is also seeking submissions from the public for this inquiry. The deadline for submissions is Friday 1 June.

Please refer to the website for further information - Click here

Tourism in Creswick will get a boost next March when the new Forest Resort opens the next stage of its $200 million development, a 4.5 star Novotel Hotel and day spa, conference centre, and championship golf course in addition to the existing Grand Mercure Apartments.

Located 10 minutes’ drive from Ballarat and 80 minutes’ from Melbourne, the resort is the result of six years of planning and development.

The Grand Mercure Forest Resort Apartments have been operating for over two years while the Novotel Hotel, 1,000-person conference centre, day spa and championship golf course is planned to open in March 2008.

The Forest Resort has engaged international Australian golfer, Robert Allenby, in association with renowned golf course architect Tony Cashmore, to re-design the historic 90 year-old Creswick Golf Course.

The resort is being built in line with an environmental philosophy focused on long-term sustainability of energy and water conservation. The new water treatment plant will be one of the first of its type in Australia and has been approved by the Environment Protection Authority (EPA).

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The City of Greater Bendigo will host a civic reception for the 14th Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso on Thursday, June 7, 2007. His Holiness’s address to the Civic Reception will be broadcast out to the gardens surrounding the Bendigo Town Hall. His Holiness will also make a brief public appearance on the balcony of the Town Hall where he will give a short address.

His Holiness will then travel to the Great Stupa of Universal Compassion (located at the Atisha Buddhist Centre, 15 minutes from Bendigo) where he will bless the Great Stupa site and consecrate the Guru Rinpoche statue as his first official duty in Victoria.

The Great Stupa of Universal Compassion is currently under construction and scheduled for completion in 2010. This will be one of the most significant Buddhist temples in the world. A Stupa is the most sacred monument in the Buddhist world. It is a symbolic representation of the fully enlightened mind and the path to enlightenment.

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Promote your event free online - Goldfields event organisers are reminded of the opportunity to list events on the regional gateway of visitvictoria.com (i.e. visitgoldfields.com). Listings are FREE and can be self-authored. To create a listing go to www.tourismvictoria.com.au and register or edit your listing via the dialogue box entitled “List your business on visitvictoria.com” – follow the prompts to upload the details of your event.

Access the latest visitation and expenditure figures - International and domestic visitation to regions of Victoria (year ending December 2006) can be accessed via the Tourism Victoria website:
Click here

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The City of Ballarat’s City Marketing launched the new Ballarat Official Visitor Guide and Marketing Prospectus to the industry on 15 May.

The cornerstone of the prospectus is the Official Visitor Guide which will be used to promote Ballarat to potential visitors.  The guide is a mixture of motivational material, Ballarat’s product strengths and product listings.  Over 200,000 of the guides will be distributed through specific distribution points around Australia and selected overseas destinations.  The guide is due for release in September 2007.

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Bendigo’s popular “Life’s A Dish” initiative will be officially launched into the Melbourne market next weekend at the Melbourne Good Food & Wine Show.  With a tip of the chef’s hat to the Buon Ricordo concept that began in Northern Italy in 1964, Bendigo’s premier restaurants are now offering collectable plates as a souvenir of a memorable, regional meal, as part of “Life’s A Dish”.   

The Good Food & Wine Show is on at the Melbourne Exhibition Centre from 1 -3 June 2007.  The City of Greater Bendigo and Bendigo Tourism have arranged a display at this major event.  The display will involve food and wine from the region, with restaurateurs and winegrowers attending to provide sampling. 

The “Life’s A Dish” program is a partnership between twelve Bendigo restaurants and the City of Greater Bendigo, aimed at highlighting Bendigo as an emerging food destination and allowing many of the quality dining experiences in Bendigo to be profiled.  

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For the latest details of forthcoming events in the Goldfields region please click on the following local government area links to access events calendars:

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Questions or comments? Email us at Goldfields Tourism or call 03-5348 3395