The Minister for Tourism and Major Events was in Forbes last Friday with good news for the inaugural Grazing Down the Lachlan (GDTL) event.
Adam Marshall announced the NSW Government’s 2017 Incubator Event Fund has awarded $20,000 to the food event that will showcase locally farmed and foraged native foods and indigenous culture in a pic- turesque location. GDTL has been established to support the Somewhere Down the Lachlan sculpture trail.
Chair of the event Wendy Muffet was delighted with the news. “GDTL aims to excite and inspire from the moment our guests step onto the event bus, celebrating a fusion of the Wiradjuri and white settler cultures embedded in our glorious western landscape,” she said.
“This grant enables us to truly elevate the guest experience, to add the sparkle in a sustainable way with all funds raised directed into a permanent sculpture trail strategically designed to increase the visitor economy in Forbes.”
The Minister said attracting visitors to rural and regional NSW is a top priority for the NSW Government. “This fund will have a positive impact on local hotels, restaurants, shops and attractions, stimulating tourism across regional and rural NSW and creating more jobs. I congratulate the event organisers on their successful application, which will boost the regional NSW visitor economy,” he said.
The 2017 Incubator Event Fund offers one-off annual grants of up to $20,000 to those staging an event for the first or second time to fund elements such as staging, venue hire, research, marketing and publicity activities.
Grazing Down the Lachlan will be held in Forbes on 23rd September. More information is available on the Facebook page, or at www.grazingdownthelachlan.com
By Rochelle Bright