What is it about The colour red?

What is it about the colour red that sends people into a frenzy? The beautiful Macedon Ranges is one of the most visited locations in Victoria to experience the autumn leaves. The Honour Avenue is a memorial to the WWI and II veterans who lost there lives, and to commemorate oak trees were planted in their honour.

The months of April and May the quiet idyllic town is set upon by thousands and thousands of tourists and visitors wanting to get amongst the leaves. Tour operators selling Autumn Leaves Packages bring bus loads of visitors to the quiet streets of Macedon for their selfies and trophy images. A Friday morning, and more than 1,000 visitors flowed through the streets.

People climbed the trees, rolled in the leaves, threw leaves around for their photographs. Drones flew beneath the canopy of leaves and into on coming traffic. It was crazy.

By the time school pickup was on 2:30-3:30pm local residents were being held up by people wanting to take images in the middle of the road and or family portraits. By the weekend, then seeing visitors setting up picnics on the roadside (right) and thousands upon thousands of visitors lined the streets.

This was mass tourism, but how can you fix it?

I am no tourism marketing guru but I can’t understand why locals don’t get on board and drive a weekend long event? An autumn leaves festival perhaps. The neighbouring region of Hanging Rock hosts markets by Craft Markets Victoria. Why not host one in Macedon? Block off the road, encourage locals to be diverted for a weekend, have a market, local traders host food stalls and encourage a celebration. I am sure thousands and thousands would come. Perhaps we just need to get creative.

Just a thought!