From accommodation to food and nights out in town, parents, players, supporters and officials of junior cricket teams competing in a major carnival in Orange have been boosting the local economy over the past two weeks.
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Among the biggest spenders at the Under 13 and Under 15s Western NSW Junior Cricket carnivals has been a team of nine parents and 12 players from Queenstown in New Zealand.
Team manager Tim Young said the players, 13-16 year-old boys from Wakatipu High School, had been billeted with Orange families but the parents had been staying at Airbnb sites in town.
All the support crew are dining out every night, visiting the watering holes.
- Tim Young, NZ team manager
"We have a total budget of $32,000 New Zealand, ($A30,600), that includes the airfares," he said.
"All the support crew are dining out every night, visiting the watering holes.
"The parents have been staying at Airbnbs, $1200 to $1500 a week.
"We've made a reasonable contribution to the local establishments," he said.
Mr Young said the group had enjoyed the local hospitality.
"We flew over on the 7th of January. We had a few days in Sydney and a couple of days in Bathurst and arrived here on Sunday," he said.
"I came here two years ago as well. We love it here. What we love most is the people.
"The organisers of the tournament, they really look after us. Everyone is so positive and friendly."
Craig Simmons and a crew from Penrith have been staying at the Canobolas Caravan Park.
"It's right in the middle of town. It's very affordable, I brought four kids with me," he said.
Mr Simmons said cricket took up a large portion of their day but they were looking forward to going out on Thursday night for dinner in Orange.
He said accommodation and food had been their major expenses.
"As a group we put some money in [for food]. We have a kitty of $550 so far," he said.
Mr Simmons said one member of the group went to three different supermarkets in town to buy the food and drinks each day.
Mark Gale, also from Penrith, said he had brought his family to Orange for a few days for the carnival. "We've been to the [Hotel] Canobolas and the Royal Hotel. They were very good," he said.
Mr Gale said they were impressed with the quality of the cricket fields and turf wickets in Orange. "We haven't got these sort of things [the number of turf wickets] where we're from," he said.
His group has included Rayleen Cooke from Tweed Heads. "It's my first time here. I'm so impressed with all the beautiful old houses here," she said.
Tournament organiser Jo Hunter said about 1000 people would visit for the carnivals.
Orange360 general manager Caddie Marshall said it would inject about $2 million into the economy.
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