Why Does Mt Gambier City Council Hate Tourism Operators?

Howdy dear availees...bittuva' shock to realise it's nearly a month since the last post, but there's a fair bit of stuff on TMGI Facebook page if you wanna' check that out...at least some of it is about the extraordinary developments associated with Mt Gambier City Council cancelling Leases at Engelbrecht Cave Tourism operation and the Umpherston Cave Tourism Kiosk...(we refer dear avilees back to the recent post(s?) on this issue-Ed)...indeed, and as a sampler here's a Facebook post we stuck on TMGI Facebook (Tuesday 16th July 2024), fairly self-explanatory, then below that a reminder of what MGCC has said about this...so, please to be enjoying this ...***

Hi,

As is my want, I've been down Jubilee Hwy several times since Mt Gambier City Council destroyed the Engelbrecht Cave Tourism business by evicting the owner/operator Ms Coleman (as of 1st July 2024).

As you'll recall, MGCC have blatantly lied about this eviction, stooping so low as to publicly/officially blame Ms Coleman for the destruction of her hard-earned business, the sacking of her employees, etc.

There's been 'activity' there, eg, work utes, a worker by the building, etc, every time I've gone past.

Hadn't been for a coupla' days, then yesterday I had cause to go 'round the block and check it out 'cos there were several workers, at least one on the roof, and a cherry-picker/crane parked there.

Today I went past again and took the attached photos.

I make no comment about these companies and/or these workers, and as you can see, I've tried to keep people outta' the photos where possible.

I dunno' who they are, all due respect but I don't care, for the purposes of this post and relating to the broader corruption of MGCC, they are just contractors/workers doing a job.

If there are connections to MGCC, appropriate or otherwise, I don't know, and again respectively, don't care.

So today (Tues 16th July) there were, as you can see, 6-8 workers, 2 cranes, a suction-vacuum truck, and multiple vehicles.

I can only speculate as to what's about to happen there, but I'm not aware of those jobs MGCC destroyed being advertised; anyone know?

I'd also be fascinated to know if there was ever this amount of attention/work done, if any work done at all, on the site in the entirety of the 10years Ms Coleman ran it.

Regardless, the main issue here is MGCC's wanton destruction of this thriving business and their blatant, repeated lies about the situation, ie, officially blaming Ms Coleman.

Cheers, Nick. 

***And as we've said, there's quite a bit more on TMGI Facebook 'cos the story obviously has moved from Eviction to eventual Resurrection...(well, a resurrection of sorts-Ed)...I've no idea exactly what is happening there currently...(other than you can book a tour on-line-Ed)...yeah well that, but otherwise I'm sans info 'cos it's simply not appropriate to go there and hassle someone in their workplace...(and of course it's now a MGCC facility/operation-Ed)...yeah I get what you're sayin', but whatevs who runs it, it's just not appropriate...(and why would it be 'hassling someone in their workplace'? you've always been known to be quiet, polite, and unfortunately well-informed-Ed)...well cheers...(it's notoriously annoying-Ed)...oh stop it already, you'll make me blush...but yeah, 'hassle', well you've already nailed that, ummm, nail...(it's 'cos it's you, isn't it?-Ed)...welll, you know, here's the thing, yes...it's 'cos a MGCC employee speaking to me is to my experience potentially/likely to lead to that person getting hassled...get what I'm sayin'?...(abundantly sir, abundantly-Ed)... 

Here's the line-item (below) for Engelbrecht Cave from the MGCC 'Register of Community Land Leases and Licenses'...please note that it identifies that there was no 'Lease' from 2022, so that when MGCC makes reference to said alleged 'Lease', then MGCC is lying...or at least their legally required to be 1) current and 2) available to Ratepayers/Citizens, that RCLLL is not current...I'm aware that many, many Community Groups have been placed by MGCC onto 'Monthly Licenses' and the RCLLL doesn't record/report any of that...not sure, but there may have been some updates to the RCLLL, say in the last month or two, but majority still out-of-date, eg, Hastings Cunningham Reserve and Apollo Football Club...(we also note that the 'Lease' for Vansittart Park is expired, according to the RCLLL-Ed)...yeah, gourd knows mate, it's so clearly so far beyond mere incompetence as to define itself as 'Agenda'...(well I know, it says right here, "Vansittart Park Oval - North Gambier Football Club - 'License': 1st April 2022-expired 30 September 2023 - No Renewal"-Ed)...hang on, so according to the RCLLL North don't even have a 'License'?...(that's what it says-Ed)...strewth, here's that Engelbrecht Cave line-item...

(Record Name) Engelbrecht Cave - (Property) Engelbrecht Cave Reserve - (Tenant Details) Janice Pamela Coleman - (Lease or License) "Licence" - (Start Date) 01/07/2012 - (End Date) 30/06/2017 - (Renewal) 5 years - (Renewal Start Date) 01/07/2017 - (Renewal End Date) 30/06/2022 - (Community Land Management Plan Reference) AR11/2181.

And now here's the official MGCC statement again...***

New visitor servicing model for Mount Gambier
04 July 2024

City of Mount Gambier will begin to implement a ‘hub and spoke’ visitor servicing model from mid July 2024. The concept involves a Visitor Centre Hub to be located at the main corner entrance of the Riddoch building on Commercial Street, with spoke sites at Engelbrecht Cave, Umpherston Sinkhole/Balumbul, the Blue Lake Welcome Centre and the Lady Nelson.

Council acknowledges that tourism has changed significantly since the Lady Nelson Visitor and Discovery Centre opened on Jubilee Highway East in 1986, and has endorsed a position to grow the city’s visitor economy by changing the way travellers experience and contribute to Mount Gambier.

“Mount Gambier’s destination appeal is strong, and the time is right to consider the long term direction for visitor servicing in our city,” General Manager City Infrastructure Barbara Cernovskis said.

This model represents a paradigm shift in the way we grow our visitor economy, one that prioritises traveller engagement with our visitor servicing team, industry connection and environmental stewardship.

“When current Engelbrecht Cave licensee Jan Coleman gave us notice that she was handing back the keys at the conclusion of her lease at the end of June, Council decided to activate this site - one of our highest visited tourism sites - as the first ‘spoke’."

The spoke site will be the first transition site of the hub and spoke model and provide cohesive storytelling, digital and physical visitor information and will be accessible to travellers seven days a week.

“Council will provide visitor servicing, tour guide experiences, Mount Gambier branded merchandise and light refreshments.”

“A business development and implementation plan will guide the roll out and we will take a phased approach to the changes at the site. This will enable us to closely measure how things are going with the new model to inform our decision making and ensure best practice,” Ms Cernovskis said.

Under the new visitor servicing plan, the Blue Lake Welcome Centre and Umpherston Sinkhole/Balumbul will follow as spoke sites.

“Umpherston Sinkhole/Balumbul Kiosk operator Julie Holdsworth will retire at the end of her lease in October, and Umpherston Sinkhole/Balumbul will then be included as a spoke visitor servicing site.”

“Our priority is to ensure presence of visitor servicing at Engelbrecht Cave and Umpherston Sinkhole/Balumbul to facilitate a smooth transition back to Council’s care and control. The Blue Lake Welcome Centre will remain a spoke site and continue to operate in its current capacity for now, with consideration to future increased activation at this site aligned with higher visitation periods.”

Changes to the service model means that the current visitor centre at the Lady Nelson site will be repurposed, aligned with the Community Land Management Plan. Council is currently preparing a call out for Expressions of Interest (EOI) to seek community activation of the site, with a view to house the city’s creative industries and/or historic collections.

View the Visitor Servicing Model FAQs.

Media contact: City of Mount Gambier Media and Communications Coordinator Sharny McLean on 0413 798 327 or smclean@mountgambier.sa.gov.au

***And that's Mt Gambier City Council's official statement, as published on their official website, etc etc, and as dutifully parotted by the complicit Mt Gambier 'media', the ABC South East Radio and The Border Watch, etc etc...and it's not just carefully crafted weaselly-worded, deceitful half-truths, it's straight-out lies...(yeah, but carefully crafted weaselly-worded lies-Ed)...and this is why we've re-included that official MGCC statement, because it's a flat-out lie to say that Ms Coleman 'decided to hand back the keys', a base lie, and that's your/my Council's official statement on their public/social media...and if y'all are sick of hearin' it from me, prepare to be deeply disappointed 'cos I'm gunna' be bangin' that particular drum real often and real loud and, um, excuse me...Ed?!...Ed!!!...(yup?-Ed)...can you turn that music down a bit? I'm trying to pontificate here, and you're really cramping my sanctimonious posturings...(oo sorry-Ed)...cheers, now where was I?...(I think you'd finished-Ed)...right, well then, moving on...

 New Operator: I don't know who this is/was going to be...(didn't ask? wasn't told?-Ed)...yes, both, but this person (persons?) were all set to take-up the reins from Ms Coleman and continue-on providing guided tours, etc...that is, the highly successful and therefore clearly efficiently run Tourism operation was to continue, with a new operator ready to go before MGCC pulled the plug and sent the lot down the gurgler...(refer to MGCC lie about 'handed back the keys'?-Ed)...exactly...

Unemployed Staff: Those 4 (four) tour guides rendered unemployed by MGCC were told that they could re-apply for the supposed same positions, but at the time of The Eviction (1st July), those 'new jobs' had not been advertised...as far as I'm aware those jobs still have not been advertised...(actually at least some of those positions were advertised, some only days from the re-opening, but who's doing what where and for how many hours, etc, dunno', but did see "15hrs/week" on some of those MGCC ads-Ed)...again, it's not info I'm likely to ever know 'cos I ain't goin' near it, for the aforementioned reason/s...and we will be back to rattle this particular cage again, but let's have a brief look at some other recent MGCC highlights re Tourism in Mt Gambier...roll the clip please...someone get the lights? ta'... 

Here we have the Blue Lake Aquifer Tours and Cafe...(but that's not open anymore-Ed)...dah! please! save all questions for the end of the presentation...now where was I, ah yes, This is the Aquifer Tours Cafe, it is not open anymore...(you think you're pretty funny don't cha'?-Ed)...pretty and funny...(strewth-Ed)...it is also no longer the BLATC, it is, 'The Spoke Info Centre'...and whilst it can be argued that this is slightly different to Engelbrecht and Umpherston Caves 'cos it's not strictly a MGCC-controlled site 'cos it's Crown Land and/or operated/controlled by SA Water, etc etc...(ah, that's why the Turners can still operate the Aquifer Tours but can't get access to the Cafe/Ticket Office area-Ed)...indeed, but ultimately MGCC is to blame for that eviction 'cos, again, they deliberately mismanaged the 'Lease' issue to create the situation/crisis they were wanting, to then exploit that 'crisis' to evict/punish the Turners...

And today as yesterday as tomorrow, the previously open 364 days/year BLATC, re-born as the mighty MGCC Tourism Info Spoke, will greet the supposedly important tourists with a welcoming locked door...with the Turners, rain/hail/shine, the BLATC was open, and as important as that is for Tourism, etc, it was also the centre of multiple 'social sets' and displayed/sold local artisans wares, etc etc etc...similar MGCC-generated  were evident in 'Lease' shenanigans at the Blue Lake Golf Club where yet again MGCC sought to deliberately manipulate an easily solvable/avoidable issue into a crisis they could take advantage from...

It is deliberate; it is definable; it is a deplorable pattern of behaviour for Mt Gambier City Council to conduct themselves like this against Ratepayers/Leaseees/Citizens...and it is against everyone  'cos just look at the state of 'Tourism' in MGCC's control...to close out, here's the two latest TMGI Facebook posts re Umpherston Cave...***

Hi,

I knew the year was goin' past real fast, everyone's talkin' 'bout it, but November already?

This is my extraordinarily facetious/snide/sarcastic way of saying that it must be November 'cos Mt Gambier City Council said that "the Umpherston Cave Tourist Kiosk will temporarily be closed when the Council takes over, after the current Lease runs out end of October"; not a verbatim quote but what MGCC has repeatedly stated.

And I was past there today, and it looks like this! (he said gesturing dramatically to the attached photo below.)

W...T...and all of the Fffffs?

Apologies if this is already reported elsewheres, I've been off SM for the weekend, but I reckon it was like this earlier last week when I was past there, and definitely by Saturday 17th August 2024

There's no info of any sort to explain what has and/or is happening, there's just newspaper stuck to the windows.

(Just been on MGCC's 'News Page' and nought there either.)

The paper's fallen in one spot and you can see inside that it's empty and stuff's stacked in places, etc.

So at least 2 of MGCC's "Tourism Spokes" were closed today, UCTK and Aquifer Tours/Cafe site.

Gunna' do a long form piece on this Tourism TMGI The Blog 'cos there's so much MGCC malicious malfeasance on this issue, and I feel I can express myself more, ummm, 'accurately' in that format.

Also, I've been asked and have been asking, 'Is Centenary Tower still open?'

Best I've come-up with is one person saying that they're "fairly sure it is", but no-one recalls seeing the Open/Indicator Flag "recently".

Cheers, Nick.

Hi,

Come on down, it's time to play Button-Punch Bingo.

It's a bit like Cluedo, and the winner gets to swear at their radio.

For those newbies amongst us, I'll go first just to show ya's how it's done, with this one I prepared earlier.

This morning, on ABC Sth East Radio, Stan Thompson, interviewing Liberal MLC Ben Hood, who starts mouthing-off about how appalling Public Transport is in Mt Gambier.

All the buttons duly punched, BINGO, and the resulting expletive-riddled diatribe aimed at my stereo indicates I won that round.

Here's another; pretend to be a tourist coming in via Melbourne way, stop at Umpherston to be greeted by this (picture below) and then go to the Aquifer Tours Cafe at the Blue Lake and that's also shut.

Well okay, that's not exactly how you play it, sure, but it sure-as-heck punches all my buttons, so I'm going to allow it.

My game, my rules, do what I want mate.

Ludus meus, mea praecepta, fac quod volo mate.

Which, ironically, is exactly how Mt Gambier City Council views Ratepayers/Citizens and why it's their motto. Amazing.

Back to the Bingo, former MGCC Councillor Ben Hood whining that Public Transport in Mt Gambier isn't good enough...you couldn't make this shizzle up.

30yrs+ of MGCC malfeasance/mismanagement/contempt for PT patrons and the general citizenry, and now muggins 'ere reckons it ain't good enough by 'alf not nearly.

This is just the latest in a series of appalling attempts by MGCC and especially Mayor Martin to gaslight Ratepayers/Citizens/PT Patrons and distract away from MGCC's gross/wanton failures re their legislated Public Transport responsibilities, eg, provision of access and shelter.

The Public Transport failures of MGCC are legion and must be addressed, but the immediate, like right now concern is that this (below) and Aquifer Tours Cafe is how tourists are being met in Mt Gambier, with papered-windows and/or locked doors.

I don't understand how MGCC can take-over and afford/organise a team of people to staff Engelbrecht Cave 7 days/week but can't have someone at the definably more important Blue Lake. What is going on?

Every day this situation continues is damaging Mt Gambier's reputation as a tourism destination; 'Yeah we went there, everything was shut.'

Cheers, Nick.

***Not sure exactly what's happening with the Lady Nelson Visitor Centre right now, but that's to become (is already?) one of MGCC's 'Spokes' with some sort of museum/gallery/whatevs...will update when I know more...apologies if today's post is a fraction clunky, but there's a lot happening on this issue and/or for me personally...

Tomorrow: No Idea, But It's Not Like I'm Stuck For Topics.

I am Nick Fletcher and this is my blog...cheers and laters...