Benalla Rural City sits on Taungurung, Bpangerang and Yorta Yorta Country in Victoria’s High Country. Its strengths are distinctive: a renowned regional art gallery, the Benalla Street Art Festival, silo art, the Winton Wetlands, and Australia’s largest gliding club. In 2023 the area welcomed around 335,000 visitors, worth an estimated $71 million a year to the local economy.
Subcontracted by TRC Tourism to lead this project, episteme delivered the Benalla Rural City Council Destination Management Plan 2025–2029. The plan was shaped through one-on-one meetings, council briefings, an industry and community workshop, an online community survey and site visits across the region.
Its vision is for Benalla Rural City to be “a place that excites and intrigues visitors to stop for an hour, a day or a few days to experience the best mix of culture, nature and rural charm in Victoria”. Aligned with Experience Victoria 2033 and the High Country Destination Management Plan, the plan has three priorities: grow Benalla’s share of visitors, grow their value, and build the local industry. Its action plan is staged into what can be done now, next and in the longer term.