Cooler weather heralds peak tourism time
By Kirra Livingstone
IF there was ever a reason to book a last-minute stay or head up to Montville for the day, now is a perfect time.
As the weather cools and the wet weather finally takes a break, Montville starts to shine.
“This wintery sun is absolutely our peak season, people love coming up to experience that cooler air and a lot of our BnBs and accommodation will be cottages with wood fires and spas and people just love it,” Chamber of Commerce president, Shiralee Cooper, said.
“It’s somewhere where you can enjoy a bit of a winter inter-season.
“With such gorgeous weather, people can sit outside and soak in the warm sun and enjoy the beautiful views along Main Street. “With this colder weather, we are also getting the southerners coming up for the winter migration, the Kiwis, and the flights for Auckland start up at the end of the month from Air New Zealand.”
Shiralee said Montville has a range of activities for people with various interests, from natural attractions to unique shopping experiences.
“We are fortunate that we’ve got a green heart all around, we haven’t been built out, we’ve got rainforests on our doorstep and many walks to discover,” she said.
“It is really one of those places that was given so many natural assets, we are nestled in nature and it’s been a tourist hotspot for over a hundred years.
“We’ve got an amazing selection of unique shops on Main Street, from boutique shopping to regular and fine dining on offer, and most are small businesses.”
Monty’s and Candy Addiction owner, Greg Burnett, said he receives a healthy amount of tourism all year round, with key customers from domestic and international markets.
Bigger customers include corporate businesses, weddings and even other confectionery stores.
“Recently we had quite a few Japanese people in, we had people from Switzerland, Italy, so we’ve had a few people come in from different countries,” he said. “We get a mixture of people coming in, it’s a lot quieter throughout the week, but weekends and school holidays are generally our busiest times.
“School holidays will really ramp up business, we make all our candy, gelato, waffle cones and fudge in-store where people can watch the demonstrations.”
Greg added they have 43 milkshake flavours people can choose from, so tourists can pop in for a sweet treat.
Rangebow festival is arguably Montville’s most anticipated event of the year coming up on August 1-4. Montville’s other quirky offerings include The Clock Shop, the haunted history museum Spooky Hollow, and various art galleries.
kirra@gcnews.com.au