Tenterfield Shire Council seeks expressions of interest (EOIs) from experienced, incorporated, not-for-profit community and private business groups to take over the day-to-day running and management of the Tenterfield Visitors’ Information Centre (VIC).

Located in Rouse St (New England Highway), Tenterfield, the VIC is a substantial building with 17 carparks at the southern end of the town’s CBD. The centre has provided visitor’ information services for many years and is well regarded as a must-stop for tourists to the town and the region.

Council seeks to enter reasonable, long-term lease and service-level agreements to ensure continuity of service, hours of operation and performance standards to retain tourism industry accreditations.

While the day-to-day running of the centre and management would be the responsibility of the leasing group, Council would retain ownership of the building and oversight of all information material, including brochures, maps, website and social media information and production of the same to ensure accurate, up-to-date material continues to be provided at the centre.

The VIC comprises approx. 313m2 of open-plan front office area, private office, kitchenette, staff toilets and rear meeting room with entrance from the rear carpark. The rear of the building has three public toilets used by tourists. The building is air-conditioned. The carpark has an NRMA EV charger with two charging points.

Interested groups and individuals are encouraged to contact Tenterfield Shire Council chief executive Daryl Buckingham / Bruce Mills 0408 713 610 or email: council@tenterfield.nsw.gov.au for a full information pack.

  EOIs close 5pm Friday, 5 May 2023.

Information pack

The Tenterfield Visitors’ Information Centre (VIC) is a substantial brick building in the main (Rouse) street, at the southern end of the town’s CBD. Currently staffed mainly by volunteers, the centre provides a range of information to visitors – face-to-face advice on tourist attractions and accommodation, brochures on town walks with points of historic interest (Tenterfield Saddler, Sir Henry Parkes School of Arts) scenic drives to explore Mt Mackenzie and nearby National Parks – Bald Rock, Boonoo Boonoo and Basket Swamp – as well as information on places to eat.

Council requires minimum hours of operation and would hope to negotiate a commitment to opening 7-days.

Staffing

Currently the VIC operates with one full-time staff, two casuals and six volunteers. The centre is open six-days, Monday to Friday 9am to 4:30pm and Saturdays 9am to 12:30pm.

Opening hours during the week would remain similar. Hours for Saturdays and Sundays would be negotiable, but Council would be looking for minimum hours for both days.

Souvenirs

The VIC sells a range of souvenirs – postcards, tea-towels, stickers, keyrings, caps, mugs, pens etc as well as a small range of local produce.

The centre lends itself to offer a larger range of goods, such as local arts and crafts etc.

Maps, displays and important memorabilia

The centre displays local, regional and State maps as well as displays of local points of interest and memorabilia, including of local singer/songwriter Peter Allen. These items have been collected over many years and the more important items would be expected to remain on display at the centre.

Lease and cost arrangements

The successful lessee would be required to meet the day-to-day costs of operations, including electricity, insurance, regular cleaning of the building, public toilets and maintenance of the grounds and minor maintenance of the building and all internal equipment.

The lessee would be required to maintain insurance cover for the contents and public liability cover for a minimum of $20 million.

As Council would retain ownership of the building, all major maintenance of the building would be the responsibility of Council.

Service Level Agreement

Visitor services would need to be delivered to a reasonable/acceptable standard. This would require training staff in customer relations and knowledge of local attractions. Regular checks on service delivery and a standard process to deal with any complaints would also be required.

Patronage

With tourism recovering post-COVID, last year (2022 calendar) the VIC catered for nearly 12,500 people who came through the doors, as well as many telephone, email and website inquiries.