New visitor centre opened in Australia

Travellers planning a long-haul trip to Australia in the future will have the opportunity to visit a brand new tourist information centre in New South Wales.

The Southern Gateway Centre - which is the largest of six gateway tourism and business complexes being launched across the state - was opened in Wollongong on September 20th.

It features facilities including a restaurant, a discovery centre offering an insight into local Aboriginal culture and digital touch screens allowing visitors to plan itineraries and find out about nearby attractions and activities.

The centre is located on the F6 freeway at Bulli Tops, a position that offers extensive views of the Wollongong area, which is one of New South Wales' fastest-growing holiday destinations.

Tourism Wollongong chairman Jim Eddy said: "Five new hotels have been built in Wollongong in the past three years alone and we've seen expenditure on accommodation by visitors grow more than 70 per cent in eight years.

"Much of this resulted from the huge amount of attention being paid here and overseas to our new coastal driving route, Grand Pacific Drive, since it opened almost four years ago, and I am confident the Southern Gateway Centre will help take this exposure to another level."

Wollongong is located about 50 miles south of Sydney on the eastern coast of Australia.

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