Macedon Ranges Shire Council’s Autumn Festival strategy to disperse tourists away from Macedon’s Honour Avenue did little to deter the thousands of tourists who rushed to the street over Easter.
Honour Avenue is lined with 154 pin oak trees – each one honouring a soldier from the region who served in WWI – and is promoted as a picturesque location online during April when the leaves turn red and start to fall.
MRSC promoted the landmark in 2017, however increased tourist numbers and community complaints prompted the council to pivot its Visitor Economic Strategy to “improve management measures for Honour Avenue”. The council initiated the Autumn Festival to promote other areas in the region and simultaneously block cars from driving on Honour Avenue.
Local resident Melissa Carson said the foot traffic on Anzac Day was much greater than the Easter weekend each year, and complained the significance of the trees was lost on visitors.
“Anzac Day, especially, is quite disrespectful. We should have parades of military coming up and down and people respecting the fact that these trees are here for them, not just to take a pretty picture for their Instagram,” she said.
“The majority [of visitors] are lovely, but there are a few that disrespect the properties, but it’s very few and far between.
“Some people have used [our] land as a toilet, for example, dirty nappies out the front. But this time around, this year it’s actually been quite clean.
“The other thing that annoys us all are the unauthorised drones that not only fly down the road, but also over into our private yards. We have children playing here and don’t know where that footage will end up.”
Ms Carson said she was frustrated with council authorities who had to permit her to drive on the street each time she entered and exited, but concluded the increased tourism was ultimately good for the local economy.
MRSC’s aim in “maximising benefit to local community” through the Autumn Festival includes food trails for vegetarians, baked goods and sweets.
The Express spoke with multiple eateries involved in the festival who unanimously agreed it had generated more business at their restaurants. Groups of local children also capitalised on these visitors and sold handmade foods and goods along Honour Avenue over Easter.
An MRSC spokesperson confirmed the budget was $85,000 for this year’s festival, and said while they could not entirely block people from entering Honour Avenue, they hoped they could promote other areas of the region.
“It is about striking that balance and promoting to people that the Macedon Ranges is so much more in autumn than one tree-lined street,” the spokesperson said.
