The Alpine Rally of East Gippsland has been based in Lakes Entrance since 2003 and has established itself as one of the most successful major events in the East Gippsland region. A key part of this success is due to the support provided by the East Gippsland Shire Council and the local communities that are visited by the event.
The stunning natural beauty and diverse landscapes on offer in East Gippsland are also part of the attraction for both organisers, competitors and spectator alike. The vast array of suitable roads from the coastal forest areas to the mountainous high country are second to none in Australia and allow the event to offer a challenge that is unique for our competitors.
Lakes Entrance, the event headquarters, has more than enough accommodation for everyone who attends the event as well as easy access to the Ninety Mile Beach, great restaurants and all the other facilities needed to sustain a world class event like the Alpine Rally.
Local clubs, service groups and Fire Brigades in Nowa Nowa, Orbost, Cann River and Bruthen have all gone out of their way to provide all the services like catering, service parks and safety that an event like the Alpine Rally requires. In return the event, it’s crews and spectators have managed to inject much needed revenue into these places and organisations.
Speaking of revenue, the economic benefit of the Alpine Rally on East Gippsland is significant. The direct spend by the event, competitors and spectators on accommodation, fuel, food, etc is estimated at $1.45 million. When we apply a multiplier of 2.5 to that direct spend we get an economic benefit to the region of $3.63 million.
The event also attracts over two thousand people into the region from every state and territory of Australia as well as a number of overseas locations like New Zealand, the UK and the USA. When surveyed, over forty percent have indicated that they have returned or are intending to return to the region as tourists.
The Alpine Rally of East Gippsland has increasingly become an internationally recognised event and as such the online and social media reach of the rally has grown massively. The 2019 Alpine Rally had over sixty four thousand visits to it’s website in November and December alone. Added to this the social media presence internationally is huge, the ‘Live Stream’ of the Bairnsdale Speedway stage was viewed more than fifty thousand times.
The Voice of Rally, Colin Clark, was instrumental in raising the profile of the event and the region in Europe by a massive amount. Colin has a large European following and they were all exposed to the East Gippsland region and the excitement of the Alpine Rally by his numerous video blogs produced at various times over the weekend of the event.
The Alpine Rally of East Gippsland organising team work hard for over twelve months to make the event the best it can be but a large part of the ‘vibe’ of the rally is provided by the location and the communities of East Gippsland and without that the rally just wouldn’t work. It’s a real partnership and we couldn’t do it without the people of East Gippsland and for that we offer our heartfelt thanks.
Bring on the Centenary Anniversary running of the Alpine Rally of East Gippsland in 2021.
