Road Trip Tragedy :(

My heart goes out to the family whose road trip around Australia was cut short yesterday when Kathreen Ricketson and Robert Shugg drowned while swimmming near Coral Bay in WA's north, while their children aged 13 and 10 watched helplessly from the beach.

The couple from Canberra set out for a swim at Elle's beach, 5.5km north of Warroora Station and just two minutes from their camp site. Locals said the beach, on the Ningaloo coastline just south of Coral Bay, was renowned for rolling waves and strong undercurrents.

The children's grandparents and uncle have now flown from Tasmania to care for them.

Please always check the local conditions and ask about known hazards durng your Australian adventures. Keep yourself safe.

My tour with the Margaret River Discovery Co!

I have lived in Margaret River for nearly 18 months and have absolutely LOVED getting out and discovering the magic of this amazing area. Stunning beaches, great surf, spellbinding forests, awesome wineries, funky breweries, gorgeous shopping, galleries; hiking, swimming and canoeing the Margaret River... I will need years to discover it all!

This week I spent an amazing day with friends on a tour with Sean Blocksidge from the Margaret River Discovery Company. We had so much fun canoeing, hearing local stories and history, hiking along ocean cliffs, tasting and learning about wine, and sharing a gourmet lunch at the exclusive (and closed to the public) Fraser Gallop Estate.

Sean our Guide

Fraser Gallop Estate

This is what the Margaret River Discovery Company has to say...

Many visitors to the region don’t really experience the true grandeur, history or ecological diversity of the remarkable South West.

The Margaret River Discovery Company offers personalised tours, hosted by expert local guide Sean Blocksidge and his luxury 4WD on a wine and scenic tour that takes you behind the tourist facade, away from the masses to discover people and places you won’t find on your own.

Our aim is to give you the most memorable wine touring experience you’ll ever have and, in the process, really experience the richness and diversity of this unique corner of the world.

The best way to describe the touring is experiential. Instead of seeing the world through a tinted hire car window we’ll go places and do things so you don’t just see Margaret River – you live it.

If you share our philosophy, we invite you on a tour down the back roads of Margaret River on an experience you’ll never forget.

I highly recommend you book a tour with Sean if you are ever lucky enough to include Margaret River on your road trip or holiday!

Check out their website http://www.margaretriverdiscovery.com.au/

Free Campee app

FREE Apple camping app helps you find your next place to bed down.
 
 
Current database of 3425 Caravan Parks and 5108 Camp Grounds in Australia

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Campee makes finding the perfect campground or caravan park simple. Start by searching for where you are going and then use facilities filter to get a shortlist of great spots that match your needs. There's also the nearby feature, handy for when your actually there.

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Two Easter Caravan Roll Overs in WA

The Easter weekend has already seen two caravan roll overs in WA's South West. William Baird age 66 has died and his wife, Maxine, was injured when their Toyoya Landcruiser rolled over on the South Coast Highway at Green Range.

After overtaking a truck, a failure with the caravan caused the vehicle to lose control and leave the road. The Toyota rolled onto its roof before it was crushed by the caravan.

There was another caravan rollover near Collie on the same day.

My heart goes out to the family and friends of Mr and Mrs Baird. PLEASE take the time to have your caravan checked and serviced, and PLEASE take the time to hitch properly before setting out.

Safe Easter Travels

New Rating system helps you choose quality caravan parks

Finding a caravan or holiday park that suits your needs when it comes to location and budget is important, but it's worth assessing a property's quality standards and customer service before you park the van or pitch the tent.
The Australian Government's T-QUAL Tick and the Caravan, RV & Accommodation Industry of Australia (CRVA)have joined forces to make that decision easier by identifying Australian caravan holiday parks that do more to ensure Australians have fun on holiday.
The CRVA National Accreditation Program symbolised by a green star with a gold tick logo, identifies the holiday park has been assessed by an industry representative checking for quality tourism business practices. Holiday parks accredited by CRVA can also display the T-QUAL Tick, giving you added confidence in your holiday park choice. It isn't just CRVA that meets the high standards of Australian travellers. More than 13,000 Australian tourism operators have earned the right to display the T-Qual Tick on their advertising and marketing material. So, when you're looking for the next place to set up camp, look for the businesses carrying the CRVA and T-Qual Ticks and know your high expectations will be met.

For more information about T-Qual and Star Rating visit http://www.australia.com/TQUAL.aspx