Overview

Bellarine Railway, operated by the Geelong Steam Preservation Society, received $3.4 million in funding from the Victorian Government’s Regional Tourism Infrastructure Fund in 2021. This led to the establishment of the Bellarine Railway Tourism Product Development Project.

ODIN360 was appointed to lead the product development project, working with Bellarine Rail (BR), Tourism Greater Geelong & The Bellarine (TGGB), Regional Development Victoria (RDV) and the Victorian Department of Jobs, Precincts & Regions (DJPR – now DJSIR).

Deliverables:

The project comprised four core stages:

• Deliver a framework for an improved governance and management structure
• Develop a new commercial strategy
• Audit existing products, analyze markets and explore potential new experiences
• Identify and test preferred new experiences through market research

ODIN360 employed a comprehensive methodology including:

• Stakeholder consultations and site visits
• Review of documents and existing operations
• Board workshops and strategy development
• Extensive market research (BR, Q Train, TGGB databases and representative sample)
• Product development and testing
• Economic analysis and modelling

Key Outcomes:

• New strategic plan and governance framework adopted by BR board
• Recommendations for organisational restructure and HR improvements
• Identification and testing of six potential new product concepts
• Economic modelling showing significant potential regional economic benefits from new products
• Recommendation for BR to undertake full cost accounting analysis to maximise commercial returns

The project highlighted opportunities for BR to improve its operations, develop new high-yield experiences, and increase its economic contribution to the region. It provided a strategic roadmap for BR to leverage the infrastructure upgrades and grow as a sustainable tourism asset for the Bellarine Peninsula.