THERE is nothing more important to Tent Town owner Peter Crewes than ensuring the local community benefits from Bathurst’s annual October tourism boom.
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For the fourth consecutive year, Tent Town has been erected on the grounds surrounding Paddy’s Hotel.
Mr Crewes has all 100 of his tents booked out by people from across the globe for the duration of the Bathurst 1000 and said he could put up more if needed.
“I’ve actually got three [campers] from the UK, I’ve got New Zealand and I’ve got every state and territory, including the ACT and Northern Territory, in the country represented,” Mr Crewes said.
While the Tent Town tents are a high-quality canvas, roomy and well ventilated accommodation option for visitors during the Bathurst 1000, the most important aspect of Tent Town is the way it gives back to the community by keeping the financial gain from the event in Bathurst.
Paddy’s Hotel is set to benefit from the high volume of people staying on the grounds, the St Pat’s Old Boys cricket club was invited to set up the tents, the local Scouts get to keep the profits made from cooking breakfast for all the campers each day and all the food they cook is sourced locally.
“If we can get outside money coming in, we’ve got to find a way to harness that and keep it in the town,” Mr Crewes said.
“When I’m paying for someone to put up a tent and take one down, I’m bringing outside money in.
“We just try to make it work using local people and local commodities.”
