THE best that the Gannawarra has to offer will be showcased at a new event that will see people drive and fly into town next month.
The Mid Murray Flying Club is hosting the Gannawarra Lakes Muster on March 26 and 27.
What started as a simple conversation between the club’s Barry Wood and Gannawarra Council director of infrastructure Geoff Rollinson has morphed into the inaugural muster, as the community’s economy rebounds after COVID-19 lockdowns.
“We thought there was an opportunity to showcase the best of what the Gannawarra area has to offer,” Mr Rollinson said.
“What better location to utilise than the magnificent facility we have here in the Kerang airport.”
A big aspect of the muster is the fly-in aspect, with word getting spreading for people to fly in their planes to the Kerang airport and spend the weekend in the Gannawarra to experience the very best of the region’s attractions.
However, the event is far from being directed at just flying enthusiasts with a range of different activities and stalls arranged to cater to everyone in the family across the two-day event.
Community markets and displays from the SES, Kerang Historical Society Black Dog, as well as barbecue lunches available from the Lions and Rotary clubs, are just some of the other activities that will be available.
Mr Wood said the Mid Murray Flying Club could have decided to just do an event that just focused on those interested in the aviation industry, however was excited with how the event had grown in size.
“We decided to do something bigger to involve the whole community and support the community across the board instead of being narrow-minded and focusing on a few niche interest areas to cater for,” he said.
The event will be entry with a gold coin donation, with the opportunity for the event to grow in the future to include more activities.
The tourism factor was a major focus of the event’s plans with the past few years being extremely tough for a lot of local businesses, and with limited events being held to draw tourists to the Gannawarra.
“This type of event reintroduces tourism to the area and get tourists back into the Gannawarra area,” Mr Rollinson said.
“But then it is important that we retain that interest and get the people to return the next time we hold the event.”
The Kerang and District Vintage Motor Club are also heavily involved in the event, with them hosting a breakfast in Kerang on the Sunday which will be followed by a parade through town for the community to watch.
The parade will lead them to the Kerang airport where they will then have the cars and bikes on display as part of the muster on Sunday.
