A few months ago I blogged about the cost of entertainment and how even a weekend surf at the beach was likely to cost car parking fees, barbeque facilities use fees and of course, GST on the ice, petrol, esky contents, (surf) board wax and zinc cream.
In other words it’s hard for the average man in the street to understand why he works 40 hours a week and then have to pay for the use of everything that his taxes built.
On Sunday, I found a welcome exception to the rule “Work ‘em hard and make ‘em pay for everything”.
Blackbutt
Reserve near
The car park, free.
The bush walks, free
The barbeques, free.
So what does cost money?
Well at the kiosk they advertise five cent and ten cent ice blocks (icy poles).
If you want to visit the koalas, wombats, kangaroos and emus, (animal encounter), then there are fees ($3.50), but in this article we are concentrating on the non-fee earning aspects of the reserve.
Apart from the animal encounters, there are for free, roaming the grounds, peacocks, bush turkeys and in “black duck” pond there are turtles, ducks, and the largest eels I have ever seen swimming.
Until Sunday, I hadn’t heard of Blackbutt Reserve. (I was introduced by my extended family, daughter in law and her hubby.)
The free model appears to work though as nearly every second person I spoke to was a tourist from Canada, Germany, France or Sweden, albeit back-packer class, yet tourists nonetheless.
(So that tells us that the economy is broke only in the other countries….)
Nevertheless, Blackbutt Reserve is internationally famous
amongst the tourist folk who still spend money in traveling to
By my estimate, if I calculate the value of our family barbeque, divide it amongst the adults to calculate average per head value, (approximately $15 per person) and multiply that by the approximate number of tourists, (300+) Sunday was worth around $5,000 in tourist revenue to the city of Newcastle.
Of course our group didn’t consume any alcohol, whereas most of the visitors to the park had some form of alcoholic libation, which, added to the value of road tolls, petrol, and associated miscellaneous government revenue earners, made the day worth around $20,000 (counting the locals as well as the tourists).
In other words, Government expenditure that facilitates budget conscious weekend entertainment, makes the wheels of commerce go round and the Government tax coffers heavier.
All without having to charge an entrance or parking fee.
There are signs around the park imploring visitors to not feed the lizards or Kookaburras, warning that feeding them can turn the animals into pests.
However to the delight of all (who viewed the incident), a Kookaburra (obviously a federal tax collector) ensured that he was gaining benefit from the said tourists by swooping under one of the several barbecue shelters in the park and relieving a startled diner of his sausage; right off the plate.
The enterprising Kookaburra settled on a nearby branch where he was soon joined by his mates calling on him to share the wealth. OK – there was no diplomacy, it was more “Gimme some!”
An alert photographer snapped this piccie of the cheeky bird.
“Photo by: David Jacobs J Media“
And yes, the sausage was a lot bigger before the “mate” turned up to share (purloin) the spoils.
Blackbutt Reserve is a reminder of what this country used to be like.
Let us hope that our representatives in
Very few of the people that run things “Grok” the free model.
Here is an example of a bricks and mortar free model that is returning on average between twenty and fifty thousand dollars per week to the local economy.
As an indirect boost to the economy, Blackbutt Reserve is
showing the rest of
As any sensible sheep farmer knows, a relaxed sheep grows more wool than a harried worried one.
