Weddin Shire's tourism sector is continuing to gain momentum, with visitor numbers to the Grenfell Visitor Information Centre well above last year's levels and a series of new promotional projects helping put the region in front of more travellers.

A quarterly report presented to Weddin Shire Council's August meeting revealed visitor numbers exceeded the same period in 2025 across all three months from May to July.

The Visitor Information Centre welcomed 447 visitors in May, 528 in June and 507 in July, representing increases of 30, 281 and 211 visitors respectively compared with the previous year.

Retail sales also remained strong, with merchandise sales outperforming 2025 figures in each month of the reporting period.

Council's tourism team continued work on several initiatives aimed at attracting visitors and showcasing local experiences.

During the quarter, updated Bird Trail signage featuring the region's new tourism branding was installed, new cycling trail brochures were developed and a new visitor attraction map was erected at O'Brien's Hill Lookout.

Preparations are also underway to market the region further afield, with exhibition sites secured at the Orana Outdoor Adventure Show in Dubbo and the Canberra Caravan, Camping and Lifestyle Expo.

A feature promoting the area has also been written for the Spring 2026 edition of Caravanning Australia magazine.

The Grenfell Art Gallery continued to play an important role in attracting visitors and supporting artists.

Exhibitions by the Forbes Artist Group, Western Artist Group and artist and The Henry Lawson High School art teacher Jillian Reidy generated more than $7000 in artwork sales during the quarter.

Digital engagement also remained healthy, with the visitweddin.com.au website attracting more than 1200 users each month. Popular pages included accommodation listings, Ben Hall's Cave, Weddin Mountains National Park and local events.

Weddin Mountains Region social media channels reached large audiences, recording more than 156,000 Facebook views in June alone, while tourism content across Facebook and Instagram continued to attract strong engagement.

The report concluded that tourism promotion, gallery programming, community events and regional partnerships are continuing to support visitation, strengthen the local economy and enhance the visitor experience across Weddin Shire.