Mark the diary for Sunday March 6. You may like to call it Super Sunday. This is the day a massive 22 farms and producers from across the famous Scenic Rim are opening their gates and welcoming visitors. From fresh produce from the Scenic Rim Farm Shop, cuddles with lambs at Towri Sheep Cheeses, picnics with Alpacas at Mountview Alpaca Farm, stocking up on artisan dairy products at Tommerup’s Dairy Farm, to beer tasting at Scenic Rim Brewery and wine sipping at Sarabah, visitors will leave with full stomachs and a love for the Scenic Rim region. It’s the most wonderful day, where eskies and hearts are filled and farmers, flavour-makers and producers are the stars of the show.

It all happens in the Scenic Rim, named one of Lonely Planet’s top ten regions in the world to visit this year.

This community initiative, driven by local tourism association Destination Scenic Rim, will celebrate Queensland agriculture, give visitors a chance to meet and support local farmers directly and is a perfect excuse for a country drive just over an hour from Brisbane and the Gold Coast. It’s the perfect day trip, or weekend away!

Destination Scenic Rim Board Member and Dairy Farmer Kay Tommerup of Tommerup’s Dairy Farm said, “Farm Gate Trail is important to our business because building connections with our customers is at the core of our values. Farm Gate Trail brings visitors to our farm who love local produce, who value knowing their local farmers, and who are excited to taste their way around the Scenic Rim. It brings a wonderful opportunity for us to showcase our product to people who may not have tried our products. We love being able to share our farm story, our produce, and encourage visitors to take the time to visit other amazing producers across the region.”

Destination Scenic Rim CEO, Jessica Greenaway, is excited for visitors to experience the beauty, warmth, and authenticity the region has to offer. “There is no mistaking why the Scenic Rim was named in the top ten regions in the world to visit in 2022, patchwork fields of green, world heritage rainforests and mountain ranges, all provide a world-class backdrop for a Sunday drive in the country, but it is the opportunity to meet our passionate local farmers and produces that make this event so special.”

Hannah Hughes, Vineyard Manager at Sarabah Estate agrees the Farm Gate Trail is a celebration of local business and their collective passion. “The Farm Gate Trail is so important as it allows us to celebrate not only our own small business but allows us to support and celebrate other local businesses who are passionate in what they do. We love the ability to interact with our customers and share a bit of our story. Visitors can expect to be welcomed into a small family-owned estate that takes pride in grape growing. Enjoy a glass of wine amongst our vines, a wood-fired pizza from our smoke and vine bar or a beautiful meal at our bistro.”

Kate Bennie from Summer Land Camels thinks the Farm Gate Trail is a fantastic way to connect with people from all walks of life and to introduce them to their business – Australia’s largest Camel Dairy and the world’s largest Wild Camel Training Facility. “We love to welcome visitors to our farm to share our passion for camels and camel milk. As you learn all about these amazing creatures and get up close and personal with them, you might find yourself falling in love with them too! They get a snapshot of some of the amazing things that the Scenic Rim has to offer – and they’ll be sure to want to come back for more!”

The inaugural Scenic Rim Farm Gate Trail was first held in 2020, fast forward 2 years and the popular event has now grown to attract over 5,000 visitors  to the region.

The Scenic Rim Farm Gate Trail on March 6^th will be held from 9am – 3pm

The 22 farmers and small producers opening their gates include Summer Land Camels, Scenic Rim Farm Shop, Coco and Myrtle, Scenic Rim Mushrooms, Scenic Rim Brewery, Running Creek Beef, Olive View Estate, Towri Sheep Cheeses, Tommerup’s Dairy Farm, Bee All Natural Honey, Sarabah Estate Vineyard, O’Reilly’s Canungra Valley Vineyard, Mountview Alpacas, Pretty Produce, Witches Falls Winery, Oaky Creek Farm & Harvest Cafe, White’s Farm, The Overflow Estate 1895, Ladybrook Farm, Canungra Creek Fingerlimes, Tamborine Mountain Distillery and Cauldron Distillery.

Visitors can download their own map and pick the stops they’d like to visit between 9am 3pm, with 22 Farm Gates to choose from!

For more info visit Destination Scenic Rim

Scenic Rim Regional Council has endorsed the region’s first draft Growth Management Strategy to proceed to community consultation in February 2022.

Scenic Rim Mayor Greg Christensen said this second phase of community consultation was critical to refine the final strategy.

“The Scenic Rim Growth Management Strategy 2041 is the first region-wide strategy of this nature which provides a framework to guide and responsibly manage our region’s future growth,” he said.

“With our region’s population growth forecast to increase to more than 67,000 people by 2041, requiring more than 7,600 new jobs and around 11,000 additional dwellings, it’s vital we have strategies to guide and manage this growth.

“The Scenic Rim Growth Management Strategy will ensure we can maximise the benefits of our region’s future growth by ensuring it is well-planned and protects the region’s lifestyle for future generations.

“Council understands some residents’ concerns regarding future growth, however this growth is outlined in the State Government’s statutory planning framework and so we are seeking input from the community to ensure our strategy reflects the community’s expectations and is fit for use for years to come.

“I thank everyone who has provided input to help us reach this milestone, including the hundreds of residents who shared their feedback in our first phase of community engagement.

“I look forward to seeing the community sharing their thoughts via Council’s new engagement platform, Let’s Talk Scenic Rim,’ which will help inform the final strategy to be published later this year.”

Sign up for Council’s community engagement platform, Let’s Talk Scenic Rim  before its launch on 2 February, to be part of the conversation around the draft Scenic Rim Growth Management Strategy 2041 and other upcoming Council projects.

Source: https://www.scenicrim.qld.gov.au/news/article/654/get-ready-to-have-your-say-on-region-s-first-draft-growth-management-strategy

This is a good opportunity for our business community to be involved with.

On 2 February 2022, Council will officially launch Let’s Talk Scenic Rim. You will have the opportunity to provide feedback on two projects, the Draft Growth Management Strategy and the Council Services Satisfaction Survey, as well as see updates and reports on a variety of other works.

Anyone, at any time, can read documents and information on a variety of projects housed on Let’s Talk Scenic Rim. To participate, community members can sign up to the community panel, a short registration process, and then contribute to any or all consultation opportunities.

The registration process helps us to evaluate each project’s engagement audience and contributes to how we can reach members of the community who are not already participating. You can read about Council’s renewed approach to community engagement on the About Us page.

You can register on the Community Panel right now [the orange button below] and when the projects ‘go live’, Council will send a quick email to let you know and you can jump right in. When you join the Community Panel, you join the conversations, share your ideas, and have your say on a range of topics, projects and programs of work. This is your opportunity to help shape the future of the Scenic Rim.

Sign Up to the Community Panel here

Continue learning and grow your business these holidays with these free online courses thanks to Y(E)P Ipswich!

https://learnyep.thinkific.com/collections

Scenic Rim Regional Council has adopted its first Community Engagement Strategy and updated its Community Engagement Policy to keep our community better informed and involved on issues important to them.

Scenic Rim Mayor Greg Christensen says how we engage with current and potential residents, ratepayers, business owners, community groups, investors and other levels of government, is of vital importance.

“Community input is already part of decisions made in the Chamber; however, the Scenic Rim Regional Council Community Engagement Strategy 2021-2026 sets us on a path for improved engagement that will in turn support better decision-making and have a positive impact on the future of our region,” he said.

“The Strategy defines a consistent approach through its framework and is based on industry best-practice. What that means for the community is more opportunities to inform council decision-making, to work collaboratively with us, and clearer communication of outcomes.

In line with our Customer Charter, this Strategy has been developed on five guiding principles to ensure that community engagement in the Scenic Rim is open and transparent; inclusive and accessible; informed and timely; responsive; and respectful.

“We are committed to making meaningful changes to put our customers at the heart of everything we do,” the Mayor said.

“Spanning a five-year period from 2021-2026, the action plan has 15 specific initiatives centred around the need for open, two-way conversations with our community.

“One of those initiatives includes the development and launch of a digital engagement platform in early 2022. This online platform will become a one-stop shop for projects, ideas, reports and outcomes across a range of engagement activities.

Commitment to make meaningful changes to the way Council does business requires organisational transformation and employees are already aligning work practices to contribute to a more consistent and easily accessible way of engaging and communicating with the community,” the Mayor said.

The Strategy, Policy and Customer Charter are all available on Council’s website.

• The Scenic Rim Regional Council Community Engagement Strategy 2021-2026 at  www.scenicrim.qld.gov.au/corporate-publications
• Community Engagement Policy at www.scenicrim.qld.gov.au/council-policies-documents
• Customer Charter at www.scenicrim.qld.gov.au/customer-charter.