PRE-FEASIBILITY STUDY REPORT CONTENTS AND SUMMARY

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PROPOSAL AND PLANS FOR DEVELOPMENT

IN A HERITAGE REGISTERED PLACE

 

PREPARED BY

 

YUNGABA ACTION GROUP

 

MAY 2007

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CONTENTS PAGE

 

1 SUMMARY 5

2 BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE 6

3 YUNGABA ACTION GROUP 6

4 FINANCIAL ASSUMPTIONS 6

5 PLANNING METHOD 6

 

6 AN IMMIGRATION WORLD PROPOSAL 8

6.1.1 Background to proposal 8

6.1.2 Public access to the site 8

6.2 Dramatised Tours 10

6.2.1 Visitor attraction 10

6.2.2 Bookings 10

6.2.3 Access and Reception 10

6.2.4 Entrance 10

6.2.5 Exterior tour 11

6.2.6 Main hall 11

6.2.7 Interior tour 11

6.2.8 Dormitory drama 12

6.2.9 End in-role dramatised tour 12

6.3 Museum Visit 12

6.3.1 Museum attraction 12

6.3.2 Museum admission 13

6.3.3 Exhibits 13

6.3.4 People’s centre 14

6.3.5 Story space 14

6.3.6 Geneaology and Memory Wall 15

6.4 Restaurant 15

6.5 Shop 15

6.6 Exit from Yungaba 15

 

7 HOW MANY WOULD IMMIGRATION WORLD ATTRACT? 15

7.1 Social Trends 15

7.1.1 Grey nomads 15

7.1.2 Roots 15

7.1.3 Multiculturalism 15

7.2 Yungaba as a tourist destination 15

7.3 Historical use 16

7.4 Attitudes of those who stayed there 16

7.5 Descendents’ attitudes 16

7.6 Recent Yungaba users 17

7.7 Other Museums and other venues 17

7.8 Visitor numbers 18

7.8.1 School students 18

7.8.2 Other students 18

7.8.3 City residents 18

7.8.4 Tourists 18

7.8.5 Total visitors 19

 

8 UTILISATION OF THE BUILDING AND GROUNDS 20

8.1 Layout Of A Yungaba Museum 20

8.2 Ingress And Egress 21

8.3 Windows 21

8.4 Toilets 21

8.5 Lift 21

 

9 HOW MUCH WILL IT COST TO SET UP A MUSEUM? 21

9.1 Initial and annual costs. 21

 

10 VISIT COST 24

10.1 Pricing practices 24

10.2 Attitudes to prices 24

10.3 Subsidies 24

10.4 Strategy 24

10.5 Price sensitivity 24

 

11 FINANCIAL FEASIBILITY 25

11.1 Median Case 25

11.2 Optimistic Case 25

11.3 Pessimistic Case 25

11.4 Donations 25

11.4.1 Initial Donations 25

11.4.2 Museum Operating Donations 25

11.5 Commercial contract implementation 25

11.6 Initial development 25

11.7 Government support needed 26

 

12 BENEFITS OF PROPOSAL 27

12.1 Education 27

12.2 Cultural development 27

12.3 Recreation and tourism 28

12.4 Social goals 28

 

13 THE YUNGABA CONSERVATION PLAN 29

 

14 MULTICULTURAL ASSOCIATIONS 29

 

15 CONCLUSION 29

 

FIGURES

 

1 Yungaba site 30

 

2 Interior zones plan 30

 

 

TABLES

 

TABLE 7.7.1 OTHER MUSEUMS’ VISITATION AND REVENUES 31

TABLE 7.1.2 OTHER VENUES 31

TABLE 7.8.1 STUDENTS AT QUEENSLAND SCHOOLS 32

TABLE 7.8.3 TOURISTS 32

TABLE 7.8.5 TOTAL VISITORS 32

TABLE 8.2 NUMBER OF PEOPLE IN MAIN BUILDING 33

TABLE 9.1 COSTS BUDGET FORECAST 33

TABLE 10.1 ADMISSION CHARGES AT OTHER VENUES 34

TABLE 11.1 MEDIAN CASE REVENUE ESTIMATE 34

TABLE 11.2 OPTIMISTIC CASE REVENUE ESTIMATE 35

TABLE 11.4.1 INITIAL DONATIONS 35

TABLE11.4.2 MUSEUM OPERATING DONATIONS 35

TABLE 11.7 GOVERNMENT INITIAL SUPPORT NEEDED 35

TABLE 12.1 SOSE PROGRAMME CONCEPTS 36

TABLE 12.2 PRIVATE THEMES DEVELOPMENT 36

 

APPENDICES

 

1 GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF SITE 37

 

2 DRAMATISED TOURS 38

 

3 PROJECTED POPULATION BY FIVE-YEAR AGE GROUP,

BRISBANE SD, 2006 TO 2026 39

1 SUMMARY

Yungaba Action Group proposes that Immigration World be developed at Yungaba initially by the Government, then operated by a commercial contractor. The contractor would offer dramatised tours at competitive prices and subsidize general admission to the museum.

Dramatised tour visitors would assemble into groups of 50 at a reconstructed luggage shed where they would enter Yungaba grounds as migrants from a simulated immigrant ship. After a tour of the architecture they would sit down to a meal in the main hall entertained by comic actors in period costumes. There would be a reception speech and laying down of the house rules, then the group would be shown to the men’s or women’s dormitories. There a high quality reconstructive drama would unfold with actors playing authentic period parts, intermingling with the audience. Finally the visitors would go down to a museum composed of various exhibits illustrating the immigrant story.

As far as possible the building would be conserved and restored to it’s original appearance and functions in accordance with the Conservation Plan (Semple Kerr : 2001) and the Heritage Registration statements.

The maximum number of visitors at any time is expected to be fewer than the building was originally designed for (500 beds). Notional costs have been estimated for improved safety and preservation of the structure from wear. The initial expenditure in the Median Case is estimated at $16 millions after donations of $1.0 million. It is proposed that this amount be borne by Government through its agency that supervises the work.

The contractor’s notional investment would be $2.0 millions and his operating costs $1.1 millions (site costs 5.8 millions) in the Median Case and he would break even, receiving about $10 of the $46 average paid per visitor.. In the Optimistic Case his costs would rise to $2.0 millions approx (site costs $7.0 millions) and he would make a profit of $2.2 per annum, receiving all revenue exceeding site operating costs. In all cases there would be no ongoing cost of the development to the Government.

The benefits to the Government are a development that would educate people of all ages, culturally develop civil society and attract tourism by, in the Median Case, 125,000 visitors a year of which 16,000 would be school students on excursions paying $15-20 each. This number would rise to 210,000 per year in the Optimistic Case.

Yungaba Action Group request the Government to stop the sale of Yungaba and grant a moratorium for one year to prepare a fully detailed feasibility study and Development Application.

 

THE STUDY REPORT MAY BE MADE AVAILABLE ON APPLICATION