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Legislative Council - Fifty-Third Parliament, Second Session (53-2)
2017-10-17 Daily Xml
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Nature-Based Tourism

The Hon. G.E. GAGO (15:36): My question is to the Minister for Sustainability, Environment and Conservation. Will the minister update the chamber about South Australia's new nature-based tourism prospectus?

The Hon. I.K. HUNTER (Minister for Sustainability, Environment and Conservation, Minister for Water and the River Murray, Minister for Climate Change) (15:36): I thank the honourable member for her most important question. South Australia's nature-based tourism sector is thriving. When the government released Nature like Nowhere Else, our nature-based tourism strategy in 2016, we outlined our vision to make South Australia a world leader in nature-based tourism.

The plan was built on a foundation of consultation with stakeholders, industry and local communities. The recognition that we needed to work together to get the best for our state was widespread, and I am very pleased at the level of input we received from our stakeholders. The action plan that was developed included five main themes:

to lead South Australia's nature-based tourism activation agenda;

to support existing nature-based tourism experiences and create new ones;

to remove red tape and barriers to investment;

to raise awareness of South Australia's unique appeal to tourists generally but, particularly, to international tourists; and

to empower and build the capacity of our community-based tourism networks.

Since the release of the strategy, we have seen new investment and more international and interstate tourists flowing into our state. This means more jobs and more opportunities for businesses and entrepreneurs to invest in exciting new projects.

Last Thursday saw another great step forward in our nature-based tourism strategy journey. The member for Mawson in the other place, who is also the Minister for Tourism, and I announced that the state government had identified 18 unique sites and was inviting proposals for nature-based business opportunities such as eco-sensitive accommodation, adventure tours, cafes, cellar doors, guided walks and the like. For the first time businesses and entrepreneurs will be invited to submit their proposals to develop nature-based tourism ventures that will entice interstate and international visitors to our state, provide new opportunities for South Australians to stay in touch with nature, and encourage a different way of thinking about our natural assets.

We have a range of suggestions but, ultimately, what we have done is identify locations we think would work—at the first stage, anyway—for nature-based tourism businesses, and have opened it up to the market. We may get applications or submissions back that will push the envelope a little bit more broadly, and of course we welcome that. The options range from small hospitality institutions adjacent to a new popular playground, for example—such as a coffee shop, or indeed a pop-up coffee shop—to high-end luxury accommodation at one of our more remote and spectacular national parks.

Included in the suggested sites are the new nature play space at Morialta Conservation Park, which provides a fantastic opportunity for a cafe or a nature-themed, small hospitality venture—I suppose much like the facility we have at Waterfall Gully—to capture the steady number of patrons who are already there to enjoy the beautiful play space. As I am advised, there are currently more than 100,000 visits to the park annually, and that can only grow. The provision of much-needed coffee and refreshments to the families, and in particular parents who already frequent the park, provides some obvious benefits.

There is also the opportunity to complement the existing great white shark tourism activities and operate remote island adventure experiences in the Neptune Island Conservation Park on Eyre Peninsula. New businesses will be able to develop visitor experiences focusing on the island's marine wildlife and history, including opportunities to investigate alternative uses for the lighthouse keeper's cottage, for example. In doing this, they will be able to expand on the already successful nature-based tourism options and utilise the infrastructure and access already in place on the island.

There is also the opportunity to lead mountain bike tours or provide training activities and guided tours at Mount Lofty parks. With 300,000 people, I am advised, already visiting this area, this is one of the many ways that nature-based tourism can enable people to experience the outdoors and promote the relationship between health, physical activity and nature.

Among the sites is the Old Government House in Belair National Park. This iconic site provides an ideal setting for accommodation perhaps or hospitality and dining, even function and event spaces, with the main house and surrounding outbuildings and gardens. This property and the new business prospects it offers complements its place in South Australia's rich history and the world-class wine and food attractions that surround it, including over 50 cellar doors, local craft breweries and cider houses, not to mention cheeseries.

South Australia's first lighthouse is another of the amazing sites available for a new business to enhance and showcase its history and amazing surroundings, that being the Cape Willoughby Conservation Park on Kangaroo Island. It provides opportunities for new accommodation, tours and tourism options that conserve the natural and cultural values of the park. South Australia's heritage sites provide opportunities to share our history through guided tours, providing unique tourism experiences, dining, retail, camping or event spaces.

The Old Adelaide Gaol, for example, and Fort Glanville are two of South Australia's oldest and most fascinating sites, each situated in growing tourist areas. Fort Glanville is close to the National Maritime Museum, the Adelaide Dolphin Sanctuary and a host of historic and cultural attractions in the Port Adelaide area, while the Old Adelaide Gaol is situated in the picturesque Riverbank Precinct, adjacent to some of South Australia's new and iconic buildings, including Elder Park, the Adelaide Festival Centre, the Convention Centre, restaurants and numerous cafes. Opening these spaces to new uses will enable them to continue to be thriving areas accessed by South Australians, as well as sharing their history and beauty with new audiences and potentially in new ways.

There is also the opportunity to revitalise Cantara Homestead in the Coorong National Park into a B&B or a tour-based venue. With 550,000 visits to the region each year and surrounding attractions, including the stunning coastline, we think that is a real option. The homestead could become a place to relax and unwind and enjoy the many pleasures available on the Limestone Coast. Built in 1866, the homestead has 15 rooms and quite a quantity of unique landscape surrounding it which could accommodate picturesque camping spots. This site is a perfect space for a new business to develop a new accommodation hotspot.

Of course, the Mount Lofty Botanic Garden in the heart of the Adelaide Hills is the perfect spot for tours or a new cafe, mobile culinary or outdoor dining experience. The botanic garden is surrounded by food producers and a major wine-growing district. It is a perfect setting to showcase both the beautiful garden landscape and locally sourced produce.

These are just some of the sites and some of the ideas that new businesses might like to think about. We really want them to come to us to help us create world-class nature-based tourism experiences in South Australia to fill a niche where there is already demand. We are asking the market to give us their ideas and we will work with the proponents on the various licensing and tenure arrangements that will need to be managed to bring their vision to life.

Our prospectus lists 18 unique and beautiful natural sites across South Australia that can be leveraged to increase public access and enjoyment to these areas while simultaneously providing strong economic opportunities and the potential for new jobs in South Australia. This is an unprecedented example of how our state government works with business and local communities. We go out there and say, 'Tell us what you think you can do for our state.'

We are not a government that is in the business of telling people what to do. We invite their contributions. We do that with communities in terms of our funding and project ideas—Fund My Neighbourhood, Fund My Community—and that has been a fantastic success for us as a government. People feel like they have some buy-in, and I think in the same vein when we ask the private sector to come to us with their ideas, we will see the very same positive response. I am looking forward to seeing them.

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