Business owners in Walcha have been told to prepare themselves for an onslaught of motorbike enthusiasts in November when the 'Freak Show Festival of Motorcycles' comes to town.
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"This inaugural event is Walcha's 'Tamworth Music Festival' or 'Deni Ute Muster' and the population of the town could triple on the weekend of the festival," said organiser David Rollins from Inside Line Events International.
"That brings with it both potential benefits and challenges."
Mr Rollins was speaking to a group of more than 60 people in the Walcha Ex-Services Club last Tuesday evening at a public meeting designed to prepare the community for the anticipated tourism influx later in the year.
Organisers of the festival say the motorbike community being targeted by them has an average age of 55 and is predominantly male.
Inside Line Events International had the festival operation and logistics covered Mr Rollins said, but it was also important the town of Walcha was prepared and 'on show' that weekend to bring people back.
"You want these guys to think what a great place this is and to come back again another time with their wife instead of their hairy mate," he said.
You want these guys to think what a great place this is and to come back again another time with their wife instead of their hairy mate
- David Rollins
"For example, if you are a cafe owner in town and on Saturday morning instead of having 20 people waiting for coffee you have 700 people - how are you going to manage that?"
Mr Rollins encouraged local business to put on extra staff and extend their hours of operation to ensure the town had a lively feel and leveraged the additional customer potential.
"The great thing for you is that when people travel by motorcycle they only really have room to carry a credit card," he said.
Tickets to the three-day event went on sale in April, and according to Mr Rollins 1200 had already been sold.
"We also have 300 glamping and 200 camping bookings to date and to get all this in the dead of winter is remarkable," he said.
The festival is expected to attract about 5,000 visitors with more than 2,300 of them staying overnight.
Accommodation in Walcha and the immediate surrounds was reportedly sold out shortly after the event was announced earlier in the year. Mr Rollins encouraged anyone with a spare room, a caravan, a house or a flat to let out over the weekend to list it with the Walcha Tourist Office.
The NSW Tourism Department estimates the motorcycle event will deliver more than $1.7 million in visitor expenditure to the region.