George Town Council & Bell Bay Aluminum Announce Round Two COVID-19 Grants Recipients

Media Release

4^th August 2021

George Town Council & Bell Bay Aluminum Announce Round Two COVID-19 Grants Recipients

George Town Council and Bell Bay Aluminium are pleased to announce the recipients of their Resilience, Recovery and Stimulus Business Grants Round Two toassist new and existing tourism, hospitality, arts and culture businesses in the municipality to recover and adapt to the impact of COVID-19 on these industry sectors. 

Following an application and assessment process administered by the George Town Council, four businesses have been chosen to receive grants of $10,000 each to support and stimulate new and existing businesses in tourism and hospitality focusing on diversification and employment opportunities which will be provided by future increased visitation from the new George Town Mountain bike trails due to open later this year.

The A$40,000 partnership between Bell Bay Aluminium and George Town Council is one of a number of major community investments the smelter has supported in Northern Tasmania over the past 12 months as part of the commitment Rio Tinto has made to support communities around the globe during the COVID-19 pandemic and recovery, through its Partnership to Progress program.

Bell Bay Aluminium General Manager Shona Markham said,” This is a great example of where an industry likes ours can work in partnership with our local Council to support economic opportunities for local business and the future of George Town.

“As a partner in the George Town Mountain Bike Trails project we are delighted that the grants provided to these four local businesses will improve the appeal of George Town as a visitor destination and support opportunities specific to mountain bike tourism.”

Mayor Kieser said, “Council’s second round of the Business Resilience, Recovery and StimulusBusiness Grants program has been delivered in partnership with Bell Bay Aluminium, who have contributed a total of $25,000 to this grant round. Council continues to collaborate with industry and once again we have developed a positive grant program that will assist the successful recipients.

We are pleased to announce that Round Two will support two new businesses and two existing businesses, who will each receive $10,000 to assist to deliver projects in hospitality, accommodation and distilling.”

Business Resilience, Recovery and Stimulus Grant Recipients

Zenith Distillery Pty Ltd

Zenith Distillery

This is a multi-staged project. Stage one is set up as an owner-occupied gin distillery, then

find a suitable location in George Town to distil and run a cellar door, tastings, tours and distillation workshops, in conjunction with food vans or portable food options.

Stage two is to build a purpose-built distillery with a cellar door, tastings, food options, tours, distillation workshops, with the option of diversifying into other spirits, such as Whisky, Rum and Apple Brandy with a strong focus on local ingredients and flavour from the Tamar Valley region.

Yukiya Pty Lt

This project will complete the renovation of 7 Bathurst St, George Town and the opening of a Japanese Restaurant providing dine in and takeaway. The restaurant will provide more hospitality choice locals and visitors by serving excellent Japanese food and highlighting different food cultures.

Don Mario’s Ristorante & Coffee Lounge

Don Mario's Alfresco Project

This project will maximise patronage by utilizing the restaurants’ location and frontage. The Alfresco Dining Project would see tables set up for dining service throughout the day/evening, under an exterior awning outside of the restaurant. While the property is in need of some repairs, the eternal awning is a priority to facilitate patronage growth. With a brand-new awning, not only will the external view of the restaurant be more appealing, but this will ensure that diners are undercover. Additionally, outdoor wall heating, high quality external wind and weather protection will be installed. This will allow Don Mario’s to offer patrons an improved outdoor dining experience with space to ensure COVID protocols are met.

George Town Motor Inn

Refurbish Accommodation Units

This project is to update the Motor Inn’s accommodation units. The current units would have a rating of 1 star, with many of the furnishings dating back to the 1970's (if not earlier). Previous managers / owners of the venue have not maintained the units, and they are not appealing to visitors.

The Motor Inn’s main guests consist of workers from outside the area, who are looking for a very low budget accommodation option. With George Town on the cusp of increased visitation from the Mountain Bike Trails an update of the units is important to cater for all demographics, not just workers to region. The project will initially include new carpet, fresh paint, new beds and linen, all of which will auger well to ensure quality, budget accommodation is available in George Town for visitors, tourists, mountain biker riders and their families, and workers.