April 28, 2020 - INSPIRING MAX

This year I have decided to think outside the box for X. So I have come up with a list of ideas that give a tourist destination that something special.

For me, the X-factor can be many things. possibilities include:

Welcoming to travelers
A special story attached to the town
Interesting scenery or connection to nature
Make use of available resources
Friendly people
Sell their uniqueness
Encourage travelers by making a special feature of the area to draw crowds e.g. Parkes Elvis festival
Well maintained parks and open spaces
Family friendly facilities
Including anything that is different to home
National Parks
Ability to see local animals
Good quality food, reasonably priced
Museums and places of history
Tourist information centres with knowledgeable staff
Local walking tours both self guided and with knowledgeable local identities

The Gloucester Region is home to platypus so this park made a feature to celebrate them.

There is only one problem with spending time thinking about holidays. Now I have to go and plan my next Xtraordinaire adventure.

On our trip to Kyneton we decided to follow many of the second hand book trails it the area. We had a great time and came home with many second hand books for our library.

My favourite was the first that we visited – Woodend Bookshop. An old fashioned second hand bookshop that is filled with 20,000 books. As well as modern fiction from popular writers, the bookstore keeps signed first editions, rare and collectible books as well as valuable first editions.

The owner was extremely knowledgeable and passionate about books. He was available to answer all our questions when needed and loved having people browsing in his shop even if they didn’t buy. We were also pleased to hear that if we were looking for a book even if it was difficult he would do what he could to procure it for us.