GLENGALLAN Homestead will be the venue for the northern Australia Day civic event and celebrations to be held on 26 January next year.
The decision on the venue for the event was made at the most recent Southern Downs Regional Council general meeting.
Southern Downs mayor Tracy Dobie said a number of venue options had been considered including Leslie Park, Warwick; Glengallan Homestead; and the Warwick Railway precinct.
“The pros and cons of holding the Australia Day celebrations at each location were carefully weighed up,” she said.
“On balance, it was decided that Glengallan Homestead offered the best venue, and Glengallan representatives have expressed their interest in hosting the event in 2017,” she said.
“There was terrific attendance with more than 2000 people turning out to the 2015 Australia Day event at Glengallan, and the council received a lot of positive feedback.
“Whereas attendance at this year’s event in Leslie Park fell short of expectations and numbers were down, even though it was in, what was deemed by the community to be, a more accessible location.
“The council acknowledges there were a few complaints from members of the community about the difficulty accessing Glengallan Homestead without their own private transport.
“We are open to considering alternative transport arrangements to try and alleviate these concerns for next year’s event.”
Regional promotion, tourism and the arts portfolio councillor Rod Kelly said Australia Day was a very special event on the calendar, and the council wanted it to be a time to celebrate all that made our nation and our region great.
“By hosting the event at Glengallan Homestead, it offers the opportunity to partner with a local community organisation to bring together a full celebratory program for the enjoyment of residents and visitors,” Cr Kelly said.
“Equally though, the Southern Downs community values highly its rich history and heritage. “So, this is a wonderful way to showcase Glengallan Homestead, an important historic building and site in our region,” he said.
“It’s also a way of raising awareness of tourism experiences in the Southern Downs and marketing the region as a great place to visit and stay.”
