MidCoast Council have engaged consultancy firm, Destination Marketing Store, to review the tourism identities of the former three local government areas of Greater Taree, Great Lakes and Gloucester councils.
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Donna Carrier, proprietor of Bent on Food and Bent on Life in Wingham, was one of the people on the board instrumental in bringing the ‘Manning Valley … naturally’ brand into creation. She is still a passionate advocate for the Manning’s tourism brand.
“I think that ‘Manning Valley … naturally’ is a strong brand. It’s too strong a brand to lose. We have to fit, but we have our own identify.” Donna said.
“The value of the brand is that we are the only region free of high rises from between Forster to Port Macquarie.”
“Forster Tuncurry is an amazing, beautiful spot, but it’s about the beaches and the waterways and the skiing and the boating. We’re about that as well, with our quiet beaches, but mainly about the hinterland.
“We’ve got a bit of everything that we can capitalise on and bring tourists to. And not only that, you go from Sydney where it’s hustly bustly crazy, and moreso than ever now, and you come up here and it’s green and it’s fresh and it’s quiet,” she said.
Donna’s passion for the brand extends to her business. She sources as much produce as possible from the Manning Valley, and works very closely with the Wingham Farmers Markets.
“I see the Manning Valley becoming the ‘produce region’,” she said.
Julia Driscoll
Julia Driscoll has worked as a journalist for the Wingham Chronicle and Manning River Times for seven years. She values the deep connection with community that being a rural and regional journalist brings. Career highlights have involved environmental stories - bringing the plight of the little known endangered Manning River helmeted turtle to the attention of the public, resulting in wide-spread knowledge in the community and conservation action; and breaking the news of the Manning River ceasing to run for the first time in recorded history.
Julia Driscoll has worked as a journalist for the Wingham Chronicle and Manning River Times for seven years. She values the deep connection with community that being a rural and regional journalist brings. Career highlights have involved environmental stories - bringing the plight of the little known endangered Manning River helmeted turtle to the attention of the public, resulting in wide-spread knowledge in the community and conservation action; and breaking the news of the Manning River ceasing to run for the first time in recorded history.
