AN EXCITING tourism project is brewing on the Central Coast in NSW, with developer WCTV unveiling plans to create Australia’s largest integrated multicultural destination over the next several years.
Set to be constructed on a 120-hectare parcel of land, the Old Sydney Town Tourism Precinct will be comprised of multiple entertainment elements to create a truly multifaceted tourism experience, including ambitions for several theme parks, a host of accommodation options, large-scale retail precincts, an indigenous precinct, museums and much more.
The project is now on the hunt for suitable investors and tourism operators, big or small, willing to partner in one of three key ways, either by purchasing or leasing land in the project, or by forming strategic joint ventures regarding selected tourism programs.
Discussions are already underway with several operators, with WCTV confirming it is currently working with the Central Coast Government extensively in the hopes of getting the planning proposal off the ground.
The masterplan for the site would also incorporate the existing Australian Reptile Park in the first development stage, an attraction that sees 300,000 visitors attend annually. A number of infrastructure upgrades are flagged to take place at the popular attraction, as well as the construction of an Aboriginal and cultural indigenous precinct, a wave park, a paddock-to-plate concept and a range of overnight accommodation options.
Further planned tourism drawcards in time are slated to include a reuse of former elements of the Old Sydney Town project, multiple community outdoor spaces for performances and cultural exchanges, colonial style shopping areas, eco adventure zones such as rope swings and adventure walks.
The developer may also potentially look at creating a water-based recreation area down the track, featuring waterfront restaurants, fishing activities and an open-air cinema.
The Old Sydney Town Tourism Precinct has its sights set on becoming one of Australia’s largest tourism attractions, forecasting annual visitation in excess of 1.5 million visitors a year, revealing post-COVID ambitions of accommodating mainly local visitation in the short-term, with a view to attracting more international tourists at a later date.
WCTV foresees strong growth potential from overseas visitors, as the site will boast tourism themes designed to resonate with an international audience, in particular the site’s Aboriginal cultural precinct, various Australian culinary attractions and unique wildlife exhibits.
While tourists to Australia can seek out these types of experiences independently, the Old Sydney Town Tourism Precinct will be one of the few places in the country offering a condensed one-stop tourism shop all in the one site.
Moving forward, the goal is to get the detailed planning for stage one of the project off the ground by the early part of next year, with a view to kicking off construction towards the end of 2022.
Full construction of all stages is expected to take around five years to complete.
