Tyler Redway
MOUNT Gambier/Berrin is expected to lose a projected $731,000 cash injection after Illuminate Adelaide pulled the pin on its crowd drawing event after two successful years.
The South Australian Tourism Commission (SATC) is completing an assessment to find other options for Illuminate-related activities to come to the region.
Mount Gambier Library manager Georgina Davison said it was “so disappointing” the event would not be coming back to the city and hoped there might be a way to advocate for its return.
“I’m hopeful it will come back, seeing how it was so popular, but for now we’ll need to put our thinking caps on for how we might advocate for that to happen,” she said.
Last year, the Digital Gardens exhibit attracted about 23,000 people to the Cave Gardens/ Thugi and had a direct economic impact of $508,000, which Ms Davison said helped Mount Gambier/ Berrin businesses.
Ms Davison said it was great to see so many people engage with the event last year, despite being held in the middle of winter.
“What’s important about these things is attracting people to the community to see what Mount Gambier has to offer, while also bringing the community out when people otherwise wouldn’t come out, for example when it’s miserable weather,” she said.
“I thought it was amazing to see people running around with beanies on and umbrellas in that weather to get people out of the house and doing something to connect with the community.”