When Bob Holschier discovered that the historic goldfields of Whroo and Rushworth, where he once guided visitors, could soon welcome millions through a World Heritage listing, he couldn’t believe it.
“To be heritage listed around the world ... gee whiz,” he said.
“When I was operating tours, I would have been rapt if it had been heritage-listed back then ... I mean, what else would you wish for from a promotional point of view?”
The 91-year-old’s history in the tourism industry began in 1987 when his fellow volunteers at the Waranga News implored him to learn more about the history of Whroo and Rushworth because he was an out-of-towner.
“I started talking to older people … I learnt a lot that I had never heard before, and heard a lot of stories that I don’t know whether they were true or not — but they made great stories,” he said.
“I spoke to those who had been actually hands-on, involved in either mining or, in particular, wood cutters in the Iron Bark Forrest.”
He then thought he should begin guided tours to show off the area’s history to visitors to Rushworth.
However, the venture was not an instant hit with seniors groups.
“They had never heard of Rushworth. So, I thought I need to put something together which they know about and maybe attract them,” Mr Holschier said.
Little did he know at the time, the decision to package Nagambie winery tours with Rushworth and Whroo day tours turned out to be the beginning of a tourism boom.
Soon, the coaches headed straight for Rushworth and Whroo filled with excited, and perhaps tipsy, day-trippers.
After that, the tours gained attention from schools looking to have kids tour the gold fields and the irrigation features of the area.
Seeing the success of the tours on a local scale, Mr Holschier decided to broaden his horizon.
“Someone said to me, ‘I wish we could go anywhere in the state and get guided tours.’ So, I thought, we’ll see what happens.”
Soon after, he commenced Guided Tours of Victoria.
“The response I got was amazing,” he said.
Throughout his 18-year tourism career, Mr Holschier orchestrated a dedicated volunteer team, guiding countless visitors across Victoria’s attractions, from the goldfields of Rushworth to the coastal towns along the Mornington Peninsula.
His company catered to hundreds of students per tour, teaching them about the history of attractions around Victoria under the name Educational Excursions — Australia.
He was chairman of the Goulburn Valley Tourism Association for many years and even received a Centenary Medal awarded by the Queen for his contributions to marketing Victorian regional tourism.
While he retired in 2003 — preferring to keep to the quiet town of Stanhope away from the hustle and bustle of tourist attractions — he still sees the impact that a World Heritage listing could have for Rushworth and Whroo.
“In my opinion, this is a great opportunity to promote the goldfields of Rushworth and Whroo, but if someone doesn’t do something about it, and it just remains as is, it won’t be nearly as successful as it can be,” he said.
Mr Holschier urged Rushworth locals to champion this game-changing project, which could inject a whopping $500 million into regional economies and attract 2.5 million more visitors to Victoria’s historic gold-mining towns.
He suggested Campaspe Shire Council align with Bendigo to create a stronger tourist route, as the city is the closest and most recognisable gold-mining town to Rushworth and Whroo.
“Rushworth and the council have to get behind it, that’s for sure,” he said.
“Council especially need to start and promote (the goldfields) ... council has to show an interest otherwise everyone will just bypass us (Rushworth and Whroo) again.”
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