Warrnambool's flagship tourist attraction Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum could be sold off under a plan to be considered by councillors.
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Cr Mike Neoh said councillors were awaiting the results of a report on the site, specifically what options council had with regard to potentially selling the site.
He said options may include selling the site to a private buyer or investing funds into a revamped attraction.
Cr Neoh said the site may also present an option for high-end accommodation which would help attract more tourists to the city.
"It's a very slow process because there are complexities around land ownership," Cr Neoh said.
The site has historic overlays and sits on Crown land.
Cr Peter Sycopoulis put the spotlight on the facility at last week's council meeting and said it was high time something was done to stem the financial losses.
His comment was in relation to a public submission by Ben Blain from the Warrnambool Ratepayers Association that said Flagstaff Hill was a waste of money.
"I wouldn't put it in those exact terms, but I guess if it looks like a duck and quacks like a duck I think it's got problems," he said.
if it looks like a duck and quacks like a duck I think it's got problems
- Cr Peter Sycopoulis
Cr Sycopoulis said Flagstaff Hill had issues that needed to be dealt with.
The impact of the coronavirus is set to see losses at the Flagstaff Hill/visitor centre grow to $836,000 in the 2020/21 financial year.
In 2019/20 the loss was $745,000 and in 2018/19 it was $817,000.
While $561,000 will be shaved off the cost of running the facility this year, revenue is expected to take a $652,000 hit.
Mayor Tony Herbert said any changes would have to go through community consultation.
Cr Herbert said there was a high level of attachment to Flagstaff Hill from a significant number of volunteers and community members.
"We've got to make sure it's got the best and highest use," he said.
Cr Neoh said he was keen to bring Flagstaff Hill into the 21st century.
Cr Neoh said the maritime village had been an asset to the city for many years with people volunteering thousands of hours to ensure its success.
However, he said the council needed to carefully consider its future.
"If we're going to keep putting money into something we need to think about risk and reward," Cr Neoh said.
"It's going to take some leadership to say 'OK we either continue on in this fashion or we need something different'."
Cr Neoh said despite many people using online resources, there was a lot of foot traffic through the city's visitor information centre at the site so that also needed to be taken into consideration.
He said he believed the city needed an updated tourism attraction that was "an experience" to remember.
"It's got to be an experience that has a wow factor," Cr Neoh said.
He said there were a number of museums in Melbourne that offered free entry, which made it difficult for Flagstaff Hill to compete.
"You have to look at what tourists want," Cr Neoh said.
"Do they want a virtual experience or do they want a museum-type experience."
Cr Neoh said he believed the city needed an attraction that connected the Great Ocean Road with Tower Hill.
Cr Kylie Gaston said she had requested a workshop on Flagstaff Hill and the council look at all options.
More than 100,000 people a year visit the Flagstaff Hill precinct which also includes the Visitor Information Centre and more than 50,000 alone visit the museum itself.
The council said that creating a stand alone Visitor Information Centre would come at a "considerably larger financial cost" than the existing arrangement.
Late last year, the council revealed that Flagstaff Hill was showing early signs of a turnaround of fortunes.
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