Come and see for yourself

Like many people, Michelle Kemp didn’t know much about Docklands before she started working for Destination Docklands in July 2010.

But she has come to love the suburb and is keen to change people’s unfounded negative perceptions of the area.

“We have so much to offer but some people like to believe the negative stories that abound and won’t make the effort to visit,” Ms Kemp said. “Ignore what other people say and come and see for yourself.”

Her passion for the area shines through as she explains how she believes many “problems” are overstated.  Take traffic, for example.

“People moan about traffic here, but I think it’s more than reasonable,” Ms Kemp said. “We’re right on the city’s doorstep, and in comparison to the roads in the CBD, the reality is much better than the perception. It’s possible to get from here to the airport more quickly than from the centre of the city.”

“Docklands has the City Circle Tram and Tourist Shuttle that can deliver you from around the city to Docklands for free and free parking at Harbour Town Shopping Centre so it’s easier to get here than what people think.”

After taking six years of maternity leave to look after her two daughters, aged seven and three, Ms Kemp took up her current part-time position with Destination Docklands.

“It’s a challenging and exciting role and I’m really enthusiastic about the future of Docklands. It has great potential.”

Ms Kemp is impressed at the sense of community in Docklands.

“There’s a great community feel here, and we try to develop that at Destination Docklands,” Ms Kemp said. “Everyone wants what’s best for Docklands.”

Destination Docklands started a reward program called Docklander Deals last year to encourage residents and workers to discover more of what Docklands has to offer and this program is available to anyone wishing to sign up for free.

“We have amazing deals every month including 50 per cent off food at some restaurants, half-price hairdressing and 40 per cent off dry cleaning, to name but a few.”

Docklands is beautiful and to help people understand just how beautiful it is, Destination Docklands provides a link on its website to Flickr for a constant stream of amazing Docklands photos.

Ms Kemp said that the proximity to the water was also a big positive.

“I love Docklands on a mild, sunny day – it makes it so nice to look out over the water at the boats.”