Community & Business
8 December, 2021
Festival spend a highlight of economic snapshot
A MAJOR music festival has generated more than $2.5 million for the Mareeba Shire economy, according to an annual economic publication.
The Mareeba Chamber of Commerce’s 2021-22 Economic Snapshot reports that the Savannah in the Round, held over four days in October, was responsible for more than 11,627 visitor nights in the Mareeba area, the majority of which ((10,751) were generated by intrastate visitors.
The festival is the biggest event of its kind for the town, featuring artists like Lee Kernaghan, John Butler and John Williamson, and will be held again next year from 30 September to 2 October, with the first headline international act due to be revealed this week.
In total, festival goers spent $2.77 million at the 2021 event – a massive outcome given the festival was held at a time when lockdowns prevented interstate visitors from attending.
Sound Australia Festival Director James Dein said the event surpassed everyone’s expectations.
“What the artists and staff achieved in such trying circumstances is nothing short of amazing and we have now cemented Savannah in the Round in the annual calendar,” he said.
With only 500 patrons attending from the Mareeba Shire, the festival also had significant potential for expansion just by attracting more local residents.
Chamber president Joe Moro said the festival had huge potential to grow in future years.
“This year they were hampered by COVID but in years to come when we get international acts, this will drive it to be much bigger and draw more people from right around Australia,” he said.
The good news about the festival is only one of the highlights presented in the annual economic snapshot, which was released on Monday.
The value of residential building approvals within Mareeba Shire totalled $49 million for 2021-22 - more than double than the previous financial year.
Horticulture is again a primary economic driver for the Tablelands, with $530 million injected into the local economy.
According to the report, expanding and maturing crops of avocados, blueberry and citrus plantings in recent years is a contributing factor in the outcome, but also new crops such as cotton is on an upward trajectory.
Around 13 producers grew cotton last season which is viewed as an alternative to crops such as corn and sorghum which are facing challenges by a new pest.
Beef is also a shining light this year, with all 19 cattle sales held at the Mareeba Saleyards since July this year returning more than $1 million. Nine of those sales grossed over $2 million at an average of $1017 a head compared to last year’s average of $935 a head.
The largest sale was on 21 September when 2648 head were processed, returning $2.55 million.
In terms of throughout, 2021 has been the biggest in 17 years, with 50,000 head selling in the Tuesday sales at the time the publication went to print.
Sugar cane also continues to be a major contributor to the Mareeba economy, with MSF Sugar’s Tableland Mill producing some $45 million in export raw sugar revenue.
The mill processes cane harvested from 6600 hectares across 75 farms.
