Q. What is Clarence River Way?
Clarence River Way is a tourism and infrastructure investment program that aims to position the Clarence as one of the nation's great river experiences.
Assisted by funding support from both the state and federal governments, the Clarence River Way masterplan takes regional development to a new level. This ground-breaking program has a clear focus on delivering real experiences to selected visitor markets, locks on to population growth in nearby south-east Queensland, looks to establish priority visitor zones, and provides solutions for the integration of multiple touring modes fuelled by a commitment to sustainability.
Q. Where did the concept come from?
The concept had its origins within the Northern Rivers Regional Development Board back in 2002. In June 2006 Clarence Valley Council adopted an economic strategic plan for the Clarence Local Government Area. The strategic planning process found that Clarence River Way was inherently linked to future growth and prosperity of the region.
Council adopted the Clarence River Way Masterplan in February 2009.
Q. The project has five themes, what are they?
Currently there are almost too many options and choices in the Clarence.
To help visitors make decisions about the destination and be able to quickly identify what there is to do, the Valley’s tourism products, services and experiences have been grouped into 5 themes.
1. A continuous culture
2. A productive landscape
3. Life from the River
4. A creative community
5. A history of play
These five themes (think of them as storylines) will form the basis of visitor itineraries and visitor marketing moving forward.
Q. Why wharf and pontoon infrastructure first?
The masterplan process identified the lack of accessibility to and from the Clarence River for both the local community and visitor markets as a substantial constraint to the use and further development of river based tourism in the Clarence catchment.
Significant enhancement to strategic wharf infrastructure is seen as a sound investment, one with strong potential to generate greater commercial yield from tourism and create new business options for the region.