Tourist Information
Read more about how WSMD is exploring opportunities for further investment to improve facilities and the visitor experience.
Lifestyle
The Wimmera Southern Mallee is renowned for friendly people and a relaxed lifestyle. Residents typically report a higher than average level of satisfaction with life – particularly in the areas of community connection and participation. Many residents have made the conscious decision to swap a busy city commute for more time with family and friends.
Detailed information on local lifestyles, as well as housing, jobs and schools is available from Live the Grampians Way.
The Wimmera Southern Mallee has a diverse and vibrant community offering a range of activities, clubs, sporting opportunities and events.
Community Offerings
The Wimmera Southern Mallee has a diverse and vibrant community offering a range of activities, clubs, sporting opportunities and events.
For specific local information about the sport, clubs, playgroups, art and events refer to the following local council websites:
- Horsham Rural City Council (Horsham and Natimuk)
- Hindmarsh Shire Council (Nhill and Dimboola)
- Northern Grampians Shire Council (Stawell, St Arnaud and Halls Gap)
- West Wimmera Shire Council (Kaniva and Edenhope)
- Yarriambiack Shire Council (Warracknabeal and Hopetoun)
- Nhill Air Show (November)
Advocating for active lifestyles
WSMD actively explores opportunities to strengthen community participation and improve facilities.
Sport
The effects of COVD-19 has been widespread, and the sporting sector has not been immune. Very early in the COVID-19 period, concerns were raised in regards to the impact on Wimmera Southern Mallee sporting clubs and the responsibilities that fell on their committees of management – particularly with regards to the financial management and the potential impact on the long-term viability of clubs.
WSMD, recognising the economic and social importance of thriving sporting clubs to the region, collaborated with the Wimmera Regional Sports Assembly (WRSA), and participated in a number of activities and investigations, as detailed in this report, to gain insight the impact of COVID-19 on the region’s sporting clubs.
Grampians Regional Cycling Masterplan
The Grampians Region Cycling Masterplan, developed in 2018, aims to establish the Grampians region as a premier tourism destination for road, mountain and recreational cycling. The plan identified opportunities to develop new infrastructure and attract events and quantifies the potential benefits to the region.
Water
Lakes and reservoirs are popular recreation areas for fishing, boating, water skiing, swimming, canoeing and other activities such as camping or picnics.
Local weirs, lakes and rivers make an important economic and social contribution to the regional economy. Wimmera Southern Mallee Development, GWMWater, the Wimmera Catchment Management Authority and local councils have assessed this value each year from 2016 to 2020. The project estimated that the 27 lakes, weir pools and rivers around the region contributed $28.5 million to the local economy in 2019-20.