In an Australian-first, warbird flight simulators will soon land at the Temora Aviation Museum, giving more people an opportunity to explore the sky, thanks to the NSW Nationals in the state government’s Regional Tourism Activation Fund.
Nationals Member for Cootamundra Steph Cooke said $438,110 in funding will help install a P40 Kittyhawk, P51 Mustang and Spitfire full motion flight simulators, making Temora the only destination in Australia with this type of attraction.
“These simulators will ensure the Temora Aviation Museum remains a unique and iconic tourism destination in the Riverina and it’s fantastic to be able to provide unique tourist attractions that aren’t on offer anywhere else in Australia,” Ms Cooke said.
“The experience will include a pre-flight briefing, similar to combat flights in World War Two, from there people will take to the sky in a fully immersive experience where they will feel the turns and bumps of a real flight.
“The upgrades also include a self-guided audio tour through a handheld wand or mobile app, allowing visitors to start and stop the tour in their own time, providing subtitles for the hearing impaired and access to multimedia on personal devices.”
Peter Harper, Deputy Chief Executive Officer at the Temora Aviation Museum said the project is such an exciting prospect for not only the museum but the whole of Temora.
“We will be able to change from being just a museum, and instead become an experience that the whole family can enjoy,” Mr Harper said.
“In addition to providing the self-guided tours, which complement our group of hard-working and passionate volunteers, means the Temora Aviation Museum will be an affordable, inclusive and unique experience for all.”
Deputy Premier and Minister for Regional NSW Paul Toole said the Regional Tourism Activation Fund is helping establish unique tourism experiences attracting visitors and showcasing what our regions have to offer.
“Projects backed through the Regional Tourism Activation Fund will give domestic and international visitors more reasons to holiday away from the city,” Mr Toole said.
Under Stream One, grants of between $200,000 and $5 million were made available for projects delivering unique and high impact visitor experiences, Stream Two provided grants of between $50,000 to $500,000 for projects aimed at improving the accessibility and inclusion of tourism experiences for people with disability.
The $30 million Regional Tourism Activation Fund is part of the NSW Government’s $2 billion Regional Growth Fund. For more information, go to: www.nsw.gov.au/RTAFund
