Now let’s consider how one of the region’s top attractions was featured in the Sydney and NSW in Winter booklet that was distributed via The Daily Advertiser last Monday. Under the heading of “NSW Culture and Heritage”, the Temora Aviation Museum was listed under historic highlights.

Rather amusingly, it is located “in the Riverina region south-west of Sydney”. Just imagine someone in Sydney, or from overseas, thinking that they could just pop out to Temora to see the planes. No distance, no dates for the flying displays. Worse, the next paragraph is about the Hunter Valley, then on to Maitland Goal, and Newcastle museum. At least those three are in proximity of each other. Grenfell, Bingara, Dubbo and Ballina are listed on the same half page.

My point is that country tourism in NSW is being marketed very badly. This booklet, published by Destination NSW is a waste of our money. Riverina attractions should be all in the one place. Pages should include a map, distances with times. Useful websites for up-to-date information should be listed.

The fact is that people from other places, particularly Sydney, do not simply come to Temora. The Riverina pages should have featured the flying day, the chocolate factory, the Junee Railway Museum, and a list of other attractions in Wagga, Narrandera, Cootamundra, and Junee, with accommodation links so that people would stay in the area.

The VisitNSW.com website lists only three events for Wagga. Why doesn’t the page have a link to Wagga’s what’s on page? By the way, the feature photo on the page is the riverboat Emmylou. Other featured pictures are from Deniliquin, Barellan, and Griffith. Accommodation starts with places at Echuca, Deniliquin and Bathurst. Click Attractions, Restaurants, or Events, and for Wagga there aren’t any results.

For a Sydney visitor, coming to Wagga is a holiday of at least a few days. To be effective, Destination NSW publications needs to arrange attractions and events geographically. Instead their website and booklet lumps country NSW events together. 

Destination NSW should be restructured. State-wide or national publicity should feature genuine, practical, regional promotion.​

- Keith Wheeler