Fifty travellers in the We Care road trip out of Newcastle that hit Tenterfield on the weekend dropped $8270 in town during their stay and greatly enjoyed the stopover, trip organiser Anne-Marie Best said.
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Spending is totted up at the end of each day, as the motivation for the trip is to inject some money into communities struggling in the aftermath of drought and fire, and to create some awareness among city-folk of life in the bush.
The coach-load travelled up through Gloucester (where $3125.30 was spent) and Armidale ($2407.80) to Tenterfield before returning via Glen Innes ($2120.70) and Walcha ($461.50). Total spending for the weekend was $16,305.
Ms Best said the trippers found it hard to make their mark in Glen Innes with not a lot of businesses open when they arrived at Sunday lunchtime, despite Made in Glen spreading the word.
The lone coffee shop option struggled to feed everyone before the bus departed, but Ms Best said she and a friend had a great time doing their grocery shop at the organic produce stall.
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She said this was the second, third or even fourth road trip for some participants who know the drill, and found plenty of opportunity to spend money in Tenterfield.
"It was really great."
In addition to the spending, nearly $12,000 of fundraising by the We Care initiative will benefit the community either directly or indirectly. Lions' Need for Feed initiative will receive $6000, Tenterfield St Vincents de Paul gets a $1000 donation and members of Tenterfield CWA were on hand at a gathering at the Royal Hotel to receive a $4745 contribution.
Keen to spending to be spread through local businesses as widely as practical, Ms Best said after the gathering at the Royal the group dispersed to dine at a number of eateries, including the Brew+Bar and the Commercial Boutique Hotel.
While the Royal was base camp for the visit, another half-dozen accommodation houses also received guests for Saturday, before the visitors hit the shops the next morning.
"Everyone had a great time," Ms Best said.
The next trip will depend on the availability of the coach, with It's Easy Tours supplying the coach and fuel for the trips and driver Scotty giving up his weekend to get behind the wheel, free of charge.