By Luke Voogt
Entrance fees, tolls and parking meters could help cover funding shortfalls for Great Ocean Road works, a tourism body has revealed.
“I think everything needs to be explored,” said Great Ocean Road Regional Tourism (GORRT) general manager Liz Price.
Western Victoria MP Simon Ramsay revealed in a letter to this week’s Indy that GORRT was considering the charges as revenue options.
Ms Price said GORRT was still in the early stages of investigating funding options but declined to rule out tolls and meters.
Any funding model would take residents into account while seeking to maintain the road’s natural charm, she said.
“The community is a very big part of the visitor experience. All the money raised would be reinvested in the asset.”
Ms Price said the road’s 5 million users had many ways of contributing to the “world-class experience”.
The revelation follows GORRT calling for $1 billion in private and government investment last week.
Chairman Wayne Kayler-Thomson said the tourism body had approached state Treasurer Tim Pallas following his government’s $9.7 billion Port of Melbourne lease.
“We have got a very strong business case,” Mr Kayler-Thomson said.
“This should be considered as part of the infrastructure spends.”
The road contributes $782 million annually to Victoria and generates 6180 jobs, mainly in Melbourne, Mr Kayler-Thomson said.
The Federal and Victorian governments committed $50 million for the road over five years in 2012.
But Mr Kayler-Thomson said the money was about to run out and the road now required $20 million a year for “basic maintenance”.
The Federal Government this year announced $25 million to upgrade the road but Victoria was yet to match the amount, Mr Kayler-Thomson said.
“Even if that happens it’s great but we need more.”
Mr Kayler-Thomson appeared to contradict Ms Price and Mr Ramsay and said that GORRT “was not talking about tolls or entrance fees” to help pay for the road.
He said he preferred other funding sources, such as park-and-ride services and accommodation facilities.
“International visitors are quite willing to pay for experiences that add value to their visit,” he said.
The road remained closed between Cumberland River and Wye River on Thursday following landslides last week.
Mr Kayler-Thomson said many local businesses were suffering because they relied on high visitation rates during school holidays.
“Wye River General Store has lost 87 per cent of its revenue. Accommodation operators are experiencing cancellations because people want to travel the whole Great Ocean Road.”
The closure could cost millions in tourism dollars, Mr Kayler-Thomson said.
VicRoads this week reopened the road from Moggs Creek to Cumberland River Holiday Park and between Wye River and Skenes Creek but with traffic restrictions.
A VicRoads spokesperson warned that conditions could change again at any time.
