A new children’s fun park with laser tag and a conference centre have been officially opened in Traralgon at the weekend.
The Nationals Member for Gippsland Darren Chester commended Graeme and Christine Hellings for their ongoing investment in the Latrobe Valley tourism industry when he officially opened the Traralgon Family Fun Park and Conference Centre at Park Lane Holiday Park on Saturday.
The new facilities include a conference centre, indoor play facility, outdoor playground, laser
tag and adventure ropes, all developed by the Hellings family at the Park Lane Holiday Park. The Federal Government provided $250,000 in funding.
Mr Chester said the project was a great example of government working with business owners to support private investment.
Park Lane Holiday Park was started in 1992 by Graeme and Christine Hellings, who continue to operate the business with their two sons Luke and Joshua.
“The Hellings family has created an appealing attraction for all age groups and a variety of
different markets,” Mr Chester said.
“It’s the type of attraction that makes the Latrobe Valley a destination – it gives people a reason to come to Traralgon and spend their money at our local shops and restaurants.”
Mr Chester said Gippsland attracts almost 3.4 million visitors a year, bringing over $460 million into
the regional economy.
“Gippsland has so many attractions right on our doorstep and every time we take a day trip or a short break within the Gippsland region, we create more jobs in our local community,” Mr Chester said.
“Shopping locally and holidaying locally creates more opportunities for our region’s future.
“At a government level, we recognise the benefits of overnight visitors and have signed up to the Tourism 2020 target of increasing overnight visitor expenditure nationally to between $115 billion and $140 billion by 2020,” Mr Chester said.
The opening coincided with the Park Lane Charity Play Day, supported by Beyond Blue.
The Federal Government funding comes from the Tourism Industry Regional Development Fund (TIRF).
