Southern Highlands Welcome Centre 2015

Southern Highlands Welcome Centre

The Southern Highlands Welcome Centre managed by Destination Southern Highlands supports the local community by promoting local recreational and hospitality events, including local markets and theatre productions. This encourages people to enjoy living locally and reduces the need for the community to travel elsewhere.

The Southern Highlands Welcome Centre has a 9 kWh solar power system at the northern front of the building, but before this system was installed steps were taken to improve the overall energy efficiency of this establishment. The less energy you use, the less you need to produce, which reduces the space and cost requirements of the solar power system.

Energy efficiency actions applied include:
• a zip hot water system,
• an air conditioning controller upgrade,
• the replacement of halogen lights with LEDs and
• the use of outdoor daylight sensors

Additional sustainability initiatives include:
• the use of web based communication platforms
• the use of rain water to flush the public toilets

The centre also provides a focus on locally made products. Buying and living locally supports the local economy and reduces a communities reliance on petrol based transport.