According to figures released in the council’s Economic Contribution Study last week, Werribee Park Tourism Precinct brings in an enormous number of visitors and generates millions of dollars for the Victorian economy. The figures will only increase in the future, especially when you add the lure of the new Werribee South Marina, which is in its infancy.
The council’s economic development portfolio holder, councillor Intaj Khan, said: “With more than 1.1 million people visiting the Werribee Tourism Precinct every year, it is, without doubt, a popular area.”
He went on to say that the precinct “contributed $224 million to Victoria’s economy every year, $128.5 million to the economy of Melbourne’s west and $116.2 million to Wyndham’s own economy”.
As one politician once said: “That’s a beautiful set of numbers.” To me, they don’t add up but the immediate question that comes from these figures is a simple one: Why haven’t some of these millions been put into improving roads in the area? The gateway to the precinct – K Road – is a joke. It isn’t equipped to handle large traffic numbers; it’s not wide enough and is a safety hazard.
It’s time to put that money back into the area. We all know the potential of the precinct but the infrastructure is well behind where it should have been 10 years ago, let alone today. Tourist numbers are rising 10 per cent a year, but K Road is still the same. Something doesn’t add up … and it’s not just the arithmetic of the council press statement.
The latest area of Pacific Werribee opens this week, giving residents and visitors a premium shopping destination. I know some people have become tired of the road works in the area, but what we are going to have when it is fully completed will be well worth it. Since the Plaza opened in 1985 it has never been seen as an attraction, rather just a centre. The 2016 version offers much more than that, and I have no doubt it will become one of the best known and frequented landmarks in the City of Wyndham.
