House debates

Monday, 11 September 2023

Constituency Statements

Forrest Electorate: Margaret River Discovery Co.

10:52 am

Photo of Nola MarinoNola Marino (Forrest, Liberal Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Education) Share this | | Hansard source

I rise to congratulate the Margaret River Discovery Co. and its owner, Sean Blocksidge. They recently won a very prestigious Trip Advisor traveller's choice best of the best award. This is a fantastic award for Sean. Trip Advisor recently revealed the best of the best things to do around the world, with Margaret River Discovery Co making the top five things to do in the whole of the South Pacific region. That is a fantastic achievement. It's no mean feat—when you consider the opposition and some of the wonderful tourism opportunities out there around Australia and the South Pacific—to come up in the top five in the whole of the South Pacific region. Congratulations, Sean. I think you're doing a fabulous job and, obviously, so do many other people. They're supporting you directly.

Margaret River Discovery Co. is only one of two experiences in WA that made the top 10 list. That's how outstanding it is and how outstanding what Sean's doing is. They are actually ahead of swimming with whale sharks in Exmouth, so that's no mean feat. Sean calls Margaret River his 'paradise on earth', given that he's come from a city background. His tours have been consistently rated No. 1 in things to do in Australia on the website for the past two years and have been awarded Margaret River region's No. 1 tour experience for the 16th year in a row. No wonder it is voted as one of the best experiences in the whole of the South Pacific region.

It is actually described, very cleverly and rightly, as a 'tour for people who don't do tours'. So it's an experience that stands out that actually encourages people to go along, whether for wine and nature lovers or off the beaten track—literally off the beaten track—to show them some of the hidden experiences of the region while, at the same time, enjoying some of the fabulous wine and food that we have in the Margaret River region. It's perfect for those who like a bit of adventure and a lot of fun, whether that's canoeing, going to the beach or local tastings. They will always go to a wonderful venue to enjoy the fabulous food. There's a luxury four-wheel drive adventure and walk along the Wilyabrup Cliffs, which is a spectacular part of the Cape to Cape track. What's not to like about this? No wonder this is one of the best experiences in the South Pacific. Congratulations, Sean. What a fabulous achievement! I hope people keep coming.