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Stevie Wonder heads to Sandalford Margaret River for his only Australian performance

American singer, songwriter, musician, and producer, Stevie Wonder, is one of the most celebrated and prominent figures in popular music. To date he has amassed an astounding 49 Top 40 singles, 32 #1 singles, and worldwide album sales totaling more than 100 million units.

Presented by Dainty Group and Zaccaria, Summer Live brings some of the music world’s premier performing artists to unique outdoor winery settings - the finest music, wine, food and atmosphere amid lush, sprawling estates, replete with rows of grape vines and unending vistas.

Don’t miss a once-only opportunity on March 2 at Sandalford Margaret River Winery  to see Stevie Wonder, under the stars!

Windmills Break & Yallingup Luxury Retreat make top 25 in TripAdvisor's Traveller's Choice Awards

Congratulations to Windmills Break and Yallingup Luxury Retreat who made the top 25 in TripAdvisor's recent Traveller's Choice Awards.

For more information visit: http://www.tripadvisor.com.au/TravelersChoice-Hotels 

New Experience In Day Spas For Denmark

Local tourism operators, Beverley and Don Ford, have opened a whole new concept in beauty and wellness for Denmark, and the Great Southern. Karisma Spa, located within the Karma Chalets complex, opened to guests and the public on 3rd January, 2012. 

Karisma Spa is designed with elegance and provides relaxation and rejuvenation facilities, previously not available locally, setting a new standard of luxury.  

Karisma has a Far Infrared Sauna which is highly rated for its wellness benefits.  But, the ‘piece d’resistance’, in beauty and wellness experiences, is the Pamper Pod, or multi-function spa capsule. Designed by award winning HydroCo Ltd, it is only one of three in use in Western Australia. 

Beverley Ford said  “With the facilities we have here at Karisma, and the experience of our Manager, Emmy Whyte, we believe we can offer a service second-to-none in our region. Emmy is qualified in a full range of beauty and wellness disciplines and is well known locally for the quality of her services.”

Karisma Spa is currently operating 5 days per week, from Tuesday through to Saturday, from 10.00 am to 4.00 pm.  Appointments outside these times, may be available by prior arrangement.

For further information contact  Beverley Ford  on 9848 1568 or view website www.karismaspa.com.au

Clancy's Fish Pub to open in Dunsborough

The  spacious indoor/outdoor venue opens its doors for the first time at noon on Monday 9 January, and will trade seven days a week for lunch, dinner and everything in between. 

Winners of the prestigious WAAHA Best Family Pub Award in 2009, Clancy's Fish Pubs are dedicated to FISH, BEER, MUSIC and FUN, all with the warm, casual service they have been famous for since the first Clancy's, in Fremantle, opened 23 years ago. 

Clancy's is celebrating its opening with a month of holiday fun, highlighted by the three-day Yallingup Surfilm Festival from January 20 – 22 (www.yallingupsurfilm.com.au). While the screen is up, Clancy's will be showing free Australian, music, cult and family movies in a picnic atmosphere on The Terraces, the fantastic natural ampitheatre that slopes down from the venue to valley below.

2012 Ironman Western Australia Sells Out in Record Time

The Sunsmart Ironman Western Australia, scheduled for December 9, 2012, in Busselton has filled up in record time . All it took was one hour and nine minutes for the event to reach capacity after online registration opened. A record 360 international entries were received for the event.

SunSmart Ironman Western Australia takes place in the picturesque town of Busselton on the spectacular shores of Geographe Bay, just a 2.5 hour drive South of Perth. The 2012 event will be the ninth and largest event to date, with the region's crystal clear waters and iconic Tuart forests  playing host to over 1,400 athletes from across the globe as they take on an incredibly fast and scenic course.

Caves House Hotel Confirmed As Western Australia's Best Regional Venue

Efforts made by the proprietors and staff of the Grand Old Lady of the South
West have paid off with Caves House Hotel in Yallingup being named as Western
Australia’s Best Regional Venue at the AHA Aon Hotel and Hospitality Awards for
Excellence recently.

The Best Regional Venue award is judged on how the venue caters for its specific
local area, tourism appeal, natural ambience, popularity, atmosphere, food and
beverage, staff, entertainment and community contribution.
The award win was significant for Seashells Hospitality Group, manager of Caves
House Hotel for the past five years.

In accepting the award, Seashells Managing Director and Tourism Council
President Paul King said the award was ironic and bittersweet given the Group
had been managing the Hotel for receivers for the past two years. He made
special acknowledgement of General Manager Stephen Sheridan and his team
who will continue to run the pub from early December 2011 on the behalf of the
receivers. Seashells will continue to run its award winning properties throughout
the state.

The win was particularly important for the organisation and recognition for the
skills of both the Seashells head office team and the Caves House Hotel team in
managing regional properties in difficult times.
“Whilst the Hotel has been in the hands of receivers for approximately two years,
our team at Caves House has proactively worked to sustain and grow the Hotel’s
business and reputation.
“The focus over the past 12 months has been on the local community and the
team has strived to create a new family-friendly dining style in keeping with
Caves’ historic reputation as a great pub.
“This has succeeded and the Hotel has grown its local patronage as well as
continuing to enjoy hosting people from across Western Australia celebrating
weddings and special occasions, plus people visiting the region on holiday.
“I am so proud of our team at Yallingup and this award is a huge
acknowledgement of their determination, pride and positive attitude over this
time,” Paul said.

Amandah Ellis, Functions and Events Co-ordinator at Caves House Hotel, was a
finalist for the AHA – HGT Hotel Industry Rising Star Award.
Seashells has been in the Tourism and Hospitality industry since 1989 and
launched the Seashells brand in 1994, with the opening of the first Seashells
Resort Apartments in Scarborough.
Seashells Scarborough is now complimented by properties in Yallingup,
Mandurah and Broome.

Ironman Busselton 70.3 fills in under two hours

Ironman Busselton 70.3 fills in under two hours

Triathlon Western Australia has confirmed that individual general entries for SunSmart Ironman 70.3 Busselton 2012 have reached capacity. The field for 1,650 individual general entries filled in a record time of less than two hours.

Triathlon WA’s Athlete Services Manager Ashleigh Davis said, “This is an exciting time for our sport, and for the town of Busselton, especially during non-peak tourism season when the event attracts thousands of visitors to this great location. A new event format for 2012 has allowed for 1,650 individuals and 500 team entries. With this will bring more than 3,000 extra spectators and competitors, to the region.”

SunSmart Ironman 70.3 Busselton is the largest Ironman 70.3 race in Australia and now an iconic event on the sporting calendar in Western Australia. President of Triathlon WA, Peter Rash, said “As one of the showcase events for our sport in WA, it is clearly evident (selling out in under 2 hours) [that] this has become an iconic event and obviously one of the best triathlon participation events in Australia. We are proud to attract so many people from all over the Asia Pacific region and beyond.”

Western Australia is privileged to have two world-class international triathlon events drawing athletes from across the globe to participate in the Shire of Busselton. Within the ideal racing environment of crystal clear Geographe Bay alongside the Busselton Jetty, and fast, flat roads for the cycle route, Busselton also boasts a strong community spirit to support these events.

“Ironman racing is alive and well in Western Australia. The sell-out of SunSmart Ironman 70.3 Busselton in record time continues a trend of record sell-outs at Ironman and Ironman 70.3 events across Australia,” said Ironman’s Managing Director of Sales and Marketing, Trent Taylor.

“SunSmart Ironman 70.3 Busselton has established itself as a ‘must-do’ race, particularly for Western Australian triathletes. The expertise that Triathlon Western Australia brings to the production of this event makes it a world-class experience for every athlete.

“We extend our thanks and gratitude to each and every athlete who continues to support and participate in our great sport and wish them all the best of luck on race day.”

Entries for the teams’ component of SunSmart Ironman 70.3 Busselton remain available. These became open to the general public at 10:00 AWST on Thursday 20 October 2011.

SunSmart Ironman 70.3 Busselton 2012 is one of 52 Ironman 70.3 events held annually worldwide. In the Western Australia event, athletes will compete for a professional prize purse of US$15,000 and 25 age group qualifying spots for the Marines Ironman World Championship 70.3, held each year in Las Vegas, USA.

The Studio Bistro, Yallingup Wins Gold Plate Award

The Studio Bistro, Yallingup’s newest dining experience, has won the Gold Plate for Best Licensed Dining – Country, in the Catering Institute of Australia (WA) Gold Plate Awards on Monday night at the Perth Convention Centre.

The Studio Gallery & Bistro opened its doors on 16th September 2010 and has already built a reputation, in its first year, for excellent bistro style cuisine, friendly service and a superb setting surrounded by the State and National Parks, in Yallingup.

“It's so good to know that everything we have put into making The Studio Gallery and Bistro a great dining and entertaining experience has been recognised by the judges. This is a credit to all our wonderful staff that we have been able to achieve this in our first year” said Sue Smith, co-owner of The Studio.

The Studio Bistro features simply classic bistro style cuisine, focused on the best local and seasonal produce and a wide-ranging wine list of local, national and international wines. “We focus on flavour, freshness and simplicity in our choice of produce and preparation. We also make sure we cater to all tastes, from a 5-course Degustation menu to our Table d’hote, vegetarian, gluten free and children’s menus. We want to ensure everyone leaves the bistro satisfied,” said Blair Allen, Executive Chef.

The Studio Bistro is open 6 days from Wednesday to Monday for Lunch, and for Dinner on Friday and Saturday nights.
Bookings can be made on (08) 9756 6164 or by email at contact@thestudiobistro.com.au.

Margaret River Chocolate Company Dominates Awards

The Margaret River Chocolate Company has again dominated the Perth Royal Show’s chocolate competition, but has also added ice cream success to its medal haul this year.

The company won the coveted Champion Chocolate award for best in show, plus an unprecedented seven gold and one silver medal in the chocolate judging.

In its first year in the ice cream competition, it also won one gold and four silver medals.

A newly created honey truffle, which uses natural, unprocessed honey from Margaret River, won the Champion Chocolate title, as well as a gold medal.

The company’s strawberry cream, peppermint, Cointreau and port truffles also won gold medals, as did its milk chocolate bar and chocolate coated ginger.

In the ice cream category, the company’s macadamia ice cream won a gold medal, while its rocky road, chocolate brownie, vanilla bean and chocolate honeycomb ice cream all won silver.

Click here for more

Vintages Accommodation wins Small Business of the Year Award

Vintages Accommodation,  Margaret River has been awarded the 2011 Southwest Small Business of the Year Award. 

Owner/operators Glenys and Raymond Buchholz are celebrating the coveted win along with recognition in several other categories, six years after purchasing the boutique motel style accommodation. The property offers 11 stylishly appointed, yet affordable units just a few minutes stroll to Margaret River town centre.

Well done Vintages and congratulations for the recognition for all your hard work! See the full story here.

Southern Skydiver's managing instructor celebrates 14,000 skydives

Busselton skydive operators 'Southern Skydivers' will celebrate a milestone for its lead instructor this month!

Mr Glenn Stutt, has been skydiving professionally for 15 years and this month logged his 14,000th skydive. This equates to 194 hours or 8 days of freefall! Glenn has also skydived 50,909kms or the equivalent of skydiving around the world 1.3 times! 

Skydive jump numbers of this size are very rare in Australia and 'Southern Skydivers' are lucky enough to have the most experienced team in Western Australia. They operate from the Busselton Regional Airport in South West WA. Congratulations Glenn, we look forward to hearing about your next 14,000 dives!

Introducing a new Choice Hotel to Busselton

Busselton River Resort now joins the Choice Hotel group, now branded as the Comfort Inn Busselton River Resort. 

Comfort Inn Busselton River Resort is situated on the Vasse River and only a 10 minute walk to the centre of Busselton.  Surrounded by beautiful gardens and offering the 'Riverbank Bistro,' a fully licensed a la carte restaurant serving breakfast and dinner, a number of upgrades will also be completed in the coming months including flat screen TVs and FREE wifi in all rooms.

Gnarabar shines at WA Telstra Business Awards

The team at much-loved local restaurant Gnarabar have scooped the pool at the prestigious WA Telstra Business Awards taking home the "MYOB Small Business Award" and the "Telstra Regional Business Award".  Gnarabar will now go on to compete at the National Awards in Melbourne at the end of August.

Ngilgi Cave in the spotlight

Max Anderson sees Ngilgi Cave in a different light.  See Max's article "Watching Rocks Grow" in the Sydney Morning Herald and Melbourne's The Saturday Age here.

Busselton a finalist in GWN7 Top Tourism Awards

Busselton has been named as a finalist in the GWN7 Top Tourism Awards.

From 17 nominations, the judges selected six finalists for the top tourism award including Margaret River, Armadale, Broome, Kalgoorlie and Kununurra.  The winner will be announced at a Gala Dinner in Kununurra on 20 October.

Cry me a river

James Halliday reflects on his visit to the Margaret River Wine Region. Click here to view the full article.  

Jamie D in Australia Part 8: Margaret River

Good Food Revolution presents the eighth of a series of videos by Jamie Drummond as he travels across Australia tasting good food and wine. Part 8: Jamie heads to the very west end of the continent to the Margaret River region, where he finds more than kangaroos in and amongst the vines in this video.

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New look for geographebay.com

The Geographe Bay Tourism Association has launched its new look website making it easier for visitors to plan and book their holiday.

Now you can fly to Busselton

Skywest will commence twice weekly flights to Busselton on July 8 2011.  The Perth-Busselton-Albany return route will operate on Fridays and Sundays and offer visitors to Geographe Bay and the Margaret River Wine Region a quick 45 minute journey.  For great value holiday deals contact Busselton or Dunsborough Visitor Centre. 

Breweries take top honours at International Beer Awards

A number of local Southwest breweries have dominated at the International Beer Awards announced in Melbourne on Friday 20 May 2011.

Cowaramup Brewing Company's Pilsener was judged Champion Lager in Australia whilst Bootleg Brewery also celebrated a big win for their Sou West Wheat Beer as Champion Wheat Beer.

The competition is the largest in Australia and one of the most prestigous in the world, attracting 1195 entries from over 34 countries.
Cowaramup were also awarded a silver medal for the Cowaramup Porter and Bronze for their popular Hefeweizen. Bootleg scored well with Silvers for their Settlers Pale Ale and Raging Bull and a Bronze for their Hefe.

Other local breweries to feature in the awards included Duckstein and Eagle Bay Brewing Co.