SCHOOLIES are shifting their focus from the Gold Coast and police are trying the gauge the cost.
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Coffs Harbour police were told at a meeting this week this would be the year to judge the effect of a growing number of schoolie revellers on the north coast town.
Numbers are expected to be up, they were told. An embargo on summer leave would be imposed to ensure sufficient police to deal with the influx.
"This year will be the gauge - whether we have an increased workload," said Chief Inspector Ray Bell, from the Coffs-Clarence local area command.
"But it appears the ones wanting to celebrate here are the better behaved ones who don't want to get involved [with anti-social behaviour]."
Sarah Hovanyecz, from Wollongong, is travelling to Coffs Harbour with 11 friends for their celebrations. They have rented two villas, paying a substantial bond and leaving their parents' phone numbers with management.
The tradition of heading to Queensland for schoolies was over, she said.
"We really didn't want to go to the Gold Coast. We wanted a party atmosphere but more relaxed. Most of our parents wouldn't let us go there just because of what you see on the news. It's developed a bit of a bad reputation."
Internet forums show end-of-year schoolies celebrations are diversifying to include The Entrance, Merimbula, Port Stephens and Fraser Island.
"Yeh me and like 15 of my friends are coming down to Nelsons Bay for schoolies," a Bathurst High student wrote on one site. "Should be heccas."
Some attempts are being made to capture the growing market. A cottage at Plantation Point in Jervis Bay advertises "schoolies welcome".
Nelson Bay Diggers is organising a margarita night - its first attempt to capture the schoolies' dollar.
"In the past that market just wasn't catered for at all," its business development manager, Kim Simpson, said.
She said schoolies were welcomed at a time when occupancy rates were typically 40 per cent.
"This is a fantastic thing for the region ... It's easy to stereotype and say someone 18 to 25 is a lout. But they're not."
Yet calls to caravan parks and budget accommodation up and down the coast elicited the same answer: "We don't take schoolies."
Tourism NSW has no specific campaign to target the schoolies market. But the Tourism Minister, Jodi McKay, said she expected "tens of thousands" of schoolies to holiday in NSW in the next few weeks.
"Schoolies is a rite of passage for many students and NSW has emerged as a popular destination for those wanting a more responsible and relaxed holiday experience," she said.
"The NSW coastline is a great option for students looking for an ... affordable alternative."
Matt Lloyd, the chief executive of the largest schoolies booking agency bookschoolies.com, said he did not fear competition.
He said revellers travelling to other locations were not turning away from the Gold Coast - they represented people who would not previously have participated in schoolies.
"Certainly numbers at other destinations are growing," he said. "But the market is growing overall."
This article first appeared in Traveller in Sydney Morning Herald.
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