Free promotional photographs help local businesses entice visitors to the Goondiwindi region

Goondiwindi region businesses now have a free suite of professional photographs at their fingertips to help to promote their business and encourage potential visitors to get out to the Goondiwindi region.

The images are part of a suite of resources made available by Goondiwindi Regional Council for local businesses to use on their websites, social media, or any other marketing material. The gallery captures iconic Goondiwindi region scenes, from blooming jacaranda trees in the Talwood main street, to Merlot coffee in a local café, to an Inglewood olive grove and red dirt roads on the way out to Weengallon.

Council encourages local businesses to use the photographs for any purpose to promote themselves and the Goondiwindi region. The images can be downloaded from Council’s website at no cost: www.grc.qld.gov.au/business/resources/regional-australia-at-its-best

Mayor of the Goondiwindi region the Honourable Cr Lawrence Springborg AM said Council commissioned local photographer Rachel Walker in 2020 to take new photographs to promote the Goondiwindi region’s visitor economy and support local tourism operators and associated businesses.

“One of Council’s key priorities in developing the region’s visitor economy is building the capacity of our local tourism businesses,” the Mayor said. “In particular, we want to encourage businesses to work together to cross-promote their activities and experiences, and sell the Goondiwindi region as a whole package – as ‘Regional Australia at its Best’.

“So say someone plans to come to our region to see the Yelarbon silos, for example - this is about saying, OK, what about the Inglewood Tobacco Museum or olive walk on your way through, or have you heard about Lanescape in Goondiwindi? And while you’re there, there’s some really great shopping - and there’s this camping spot in Texas that’s perfect for a few nights’ getaway,” he said. “It’s about encouraging visitors to stay longer and explore more – to plan a whole weekend across multiple visitor experiences.”

The suite of images will also be used in a new visitor guide for the Goondiwindi region, which will showcase attractions and accommodation options along with suggested region-wide itineraries. The guide will be available in local and nearby Visitor Information Centres.

More than 216,000 visitors came to the Goondiwindi region in 2018-19, worth $66.8 million to the local economy. Council launched ‘Visit Goondiwindi Region’ on both Facebook and Instagram in July last year. The page posts promotional images of the region with suggestions about things to do and places to visit. Since its launch, the page has gained more than 15,000 followers across both platforms, with the majority based in Brisbane, the Gold Coast and elsewhere in southeast Queensland.

Although COVID-19 affected many tourism operators last year, Cr Springborg, who holds Council’s portfolio for economic development, tourism and events, said the region’s visitor economy is positioned for a strong recovery.

“The success of Visit Goondiwindi Region – not to mention the sensation around the Yelarbon Silos – is certainly growing our pool of potential visitors, and we have even more exciting tourism initiatives in the coming 12 months,” Cr Springborg said. “The new photographs are a fantastic representation of our region and will help our businesses to provide a quality, consistent brand - so I have to say a big thank you to both Rachel and the local businesses who volunteered their locations for the photos.”

Additional resources are available on Council’s website for local businesses to use, including the ‘Regional Australia at its Best!’ graphic and several promotional videos. To request non-watermarked copies of the promotional images, e-mail: media@grc.qld.gov.au