Flagstaff Hill Maritime Village is costing Warrnambool City Council close to $1 million a year to operate. With visitor numbers falling short of expectations, councillors are questioning how long the city can continue carrying the burden without government assistance.
What happened: Last Monday, councillors unanimously adopted the quarterly financial report from January to March. It found the council's short-term financial position was sound, but raised questions over the longevity of the city’s maritime village and museum.
The concerns were raised during discussion of the report, with councillors pointing to declining patronage and the cost of operating the site.
High maintenance: Councillor Debbie Arnott said Flagstaff Hill was costing the council close to $1 million each year and questioned whether the community was receiving sufficient economic benefit from the attraction.
“Patronage for the quarter was lower than expected,” she told the meeting. “I do know that it's tired. It needs a complete revamp.”
Arnott said plans existed to upgrade the facility but urged state and federal governments to contribute funding.
“As a council, this is a huge drain on our resources,” she said.
The numbers: According to Warrnambool City Council, the site attracts an average of 180,000 visitors annually, including the ticketed museum and village and the free-entry visitor information centre.
Day passes into the village range between $54 for a family pass, and $9.50 for children over five years old. Night passes, including the sound and light show, are priced between $86 for a family pass and $18.50 for children over five years old.
The site often hosts free events and workshops, and a local ambassador program allows Warrnambool residents to visit Flagstaff Hill for free.
Long-term decline: A 2024 report found the council-operated attraction was on a downward trend before the pandemic, recording a loss of 30,000 annual visitors between 2009 and 2019.
Just holding on: Councillor Richard Ziegler told the Brolga that while the council is currently maintaining the museum, it “wasn’t in a position to be able to update things or keep it as fresh as it needs to be for a tourist attraction.”
“We're treading water at present, but we're not sure how long that will last,” he said.
A worthwhile investment: Despite his concerns, Ziegler said Flagstaff Hill had “been marvellous for us for years and has been acknowledged as an important maritime museum”.
“There are amazing artefacts from shipwrecks along the south-west coast that can't be seen anywhere else”, said Ziegler, before adding visitor numbers were no longer supporting the level of investment needed to keep the attraction competitive.
“It needs to be freshened up and put back on the stage as a viable maritime museum that is up to date, but that takes money,” he said.
“Museums have a limited appeal to the latest generation. They need stuff that keeps them interested.”