It's amazing how quickly a conversation or an idea can snowball into an event that exceeds all expectations.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
When talks started between Halls Gap Zoo owners Greg and Yvonne Culell and Dealer Principal of Stawell and Horsham Toyota, Adrian Galvin, about hosting a community event to launch two new Toyota models, there could have been no expectation as to what would follow.
Ideas continued to flow and in the end, it was decided to combine the launch of the new vehicles with a fundraising day for fire brigades in this region and the State Emergency Service.
The result was one of the biggest one-day events ever seen in Halls Gap and a massive windfall for the emergency services, as well as Halls Gap business operators.
It goes to show how quickly a simple idea can snowball and how, with careful planning, we are able to attract visitors from all corners of Victoria as well as interstate to showcase all that we have to offer.
The expectation may have been for anywhere between 1000 and 2000 people through the gates at Sunday's Stawell and Horsham Toyota-sponsored Halls Gap Zoo open day, but the final count reached a staggering 4130 visitors.
This resulted in more than $10,000 being raised in gold coin donations alone, with proceeds from a barbecue that was being cooked all day, expected to reach up to $6000.
There was also a flow-on effect with businesses in Halls Gap reporting trade to be equal to, if not better than, any single day over the jazz festival weekend or Grape Escape Festival.
This certainly says a lot for just how popular Halls Gap really is and this message needs to be spread as far and wide as possible.
To have such a busy trading day so close to Easter and on what would normally have been regarded as a 'regular weekend', has given business operators plenty of confidence.
Not only that they are back in business after the fires, but that Halls Gap and the Grampians are well and truly back on the map as being one of the state's premier tourist destinations.
All this because of a vision by Adrian Galvin, together with Greg and Yvonne Culell and support from all the staff from their respective organisations. Deserves a massive pat on the back at the very least!