Weltnachrichten – AU – « Like winning a Gold Logie »: Outback Town was enthusiastic about the new Monopoly Edition

A town in outback Queensland says having a seat in a new Australian edition of the board game Monopoly is like « winning a Gold Logie ». .

Winton, west of Longreach, is one of 22 Australian cities featured in the Community Relief Edition of the game released today.

Winning Moves Australia, maker of custom Monopoly boards, said the special edition is meant to honor Australian cities hard hit by bushfires, floods or COVID-19 with $ 5 from each sale that was donated to the Australian Red Cross.

Winton Shire Council Tourism and Events Manager John Elliott was delighted that the Tatts Hotel was chosen to represent the city in the board game.

« Winton has a really classic main street in the Australian country town, [it] has three pubs down the street and they used one of those pubs, it’s actually pretty poetic. « 

« It is a fine tribute to the place Winton holds in the psyche of the Australian people . . . the connection with Banjo Patterson, the fact that there were dinosaurs here.

Winning Moves Australia said with limited space on the Monopoly board, choosing which locations to choose is a difficult task.

« The locations selected for the board weren’t just affected until 2020, many are recognizable places loved by people across the country and showing different aspects of the nation, » a spokeswoman said.

She said the cities were grouped by state or territory and « we tried to match the states to a color that they are in some way related to, be it a sports team or a flag ». .

Just like the traditional board game, locations in the « Community Relief » issue are presented with a « monetary value » in Monopoly dollars, ranging from Gippsland and Mildura on M400 and M350 to Belconnen in ACT and Queanbeyan in south NSW M60.

« I understand that we are in what Whitechapel Road would normally be. Well, it’s a very advanced area in East London, « said Cr Overall.

He said areas such as Braidwood and Araluen « suffered terribly from the ongoing drought » before the bushfires « broke out », with Black Summer claiming 80 homes and damaging many more.

« Then we had a flash flood that cut the streets even further . . . and now COVID, which we all have to deal with, « said Cr Overall.

Dairy farmer and Gippsland ambassador Sallie Jones said her region has suffered from drought, bushfires and the pandemic.

She said she was thrilled to see not only her hometown on the board, but also one of the most precious places.

« I can’t believe Gippsland is getting a bit of the spotlight after everything we’ve been through in the past few years, » said Ms. Jones.

« Especially in the Far East of Gippsland, where it was badly affected by bush fires, there are beautiful natural treasures, beaches and mountains. « 

Noosa Mayor Clare Stewart said her inclusion was « great news, » especially as a portion of the proceeds will help families affected by disasters.

« Four major bush fires here last year in three months hit this community hard. Many people were displaced, people in evacuation centers, 7. 000 hectares of land lost, « she said.

Cr Stewart hoped this would encourage travelers to visit places they would normally not have thought of and help communities recover.

« So it’s wonderful to be on the board . . . and it’s great that people who haven’t been here are reminded of what a beautiful part of the world we really are.  » She said.

Cr Stewart said the Noosa community is resilient, strong and collaborative but « everyone will look forward to the end of 2020 and look forward to a bigger and better 2021 ». .

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