New Peterborough brand invites visitors to ‘Make Tracks’

A new campaign encouraging South Australians to ‘Make Tracks to Peterborough’ has been launched to help increase visitor numbers to the historic mid north town.

District Council of Peterborough Mayor Ruth Whittle said the campaign, developed in collaboration with Regional Development Australia Yorke and Mid North (RDAYMN), includes a new town brand and a dedicated website showcasing the region’s unique tourism offerings.

“Council has been working closely with RDAYMN and the community since mid-2019 to see how we can capitalise on Peterborough’s strengths and opportunities and promote our town as a place to visit and, ultimately, live,” Mayor Whittle said.

“Findings from our community engagement process showed that Peterborough has a high quality tourism offering, and that our rail history is very much at the heart of our identity, so it is logical to promote our town as a travel destination first so visitors can see what we have to offer.

“With COVID-19 restrictions easing to a point where intrastate travel can safely resume and attractions can reopen, it’s time to share our colourful story with the rest of the state and invite South Australians to ‘Make Tracks To Peterborough’ for real history, real people and real adventure!”

RDAYMN Peterborough Development Officer Hayley Trott said the new brand celebrates the town’s rich rail heritage as a unique point of difference.

“The logo uses traditional green and yellow heritage colours to acknowledge the key role Peterborough played in Australia’s history helping transport minerals from Broken Hill to Port Pirie and building our country’s prosperity and wealth,” Ms Trott said.

“The supporting tagline ‘Make Tracks to Peterborough’ is a salute to this railway heritage and also alludes to how easy Peterborough is to access for motoring, caravanning and camping enthusiasts with sealed major roads leading into town.”

Established in 1879, Peterborough is located 10kms off the Barrier Highway in South Australia’s mid north and is less than a three-hour drive from Adelaide.

Peterborough earned a reputation as South Australia’s ‘steam heartland’ in the 19th century when, at its busiest, more than 100 trains would stop at the station every day generating employment for more than 1,000 locals.

Peterborough’s rail history is celebrated at the town’s key attraction the Steamtown Heritage Rail Centre which has now reopened following the easing of COVID-19 restrictions.