General News
13 January, 2025
We'll need more than ice cream to help Halls Gap
I headed to Halls Gap on Saturday to see how the tourist township's post-bushfire recovery was going.
I headed to Halls Gap on Saturday to see how the tourist township's post-bushfire recovery was going.
As the mercury edged towards 37°C, seeing a long line of people outside Coolas Ice Creamery was pleasing.
It's almost a prerequisite when in Halls Gap: get an ice cream cone, sit by the creek and marvel at the ancient mountains.
Unfortunately, businesses will have to sell a lot of ice cream to compensate for the losses during the peak Christmas period.
A week ago, I spoke with Halls Gap Lakeside Tourist Park and Grampians Getaway co-owners Rohan and Josephina McDonald.
You've probably seen Josephina on national TV at least once in the past month.
She said while some new bookings are trickling in, more are needed to recover.
"We're telling the world now that Halls Gap and Pomonal are open for business," she said.
Mr McDonald suggested that local day trips and weekend stays boost tourism.
"We hope to see people from out of Stawell, Horsham, Ararat, who say, 'let's go down to the pub and support them'," he said.
"They can go to the breweries or the wineries and support them."
If you can't go to the Grampians, consider buying a gift voucher. Food for thought.
Have a great week,
Ben Fraser, editor