This year, the City of Busselton and the Shire of Augusta-Margaret River joined forces at the Perth Royal Show, to raise the profile of the Capes Region with an innovative and quirky competition.
Visitors to the Guest Town Pavilion were invited to enter into a competition to come up with a witty caption to accompany a photo by Lauren Trickett.
Of the 40,000 people who visited the display, 2500 entered the competition and a number of humorous responses were received.
After much deliberation the following caption was announced as the winner: ‘This is amazing guys, when you look through the camera you can hear the ocean!’ The author of the caption received a $500 food, accommodation or travel voucher redeemable in the South West.
Other notable entries responses included: ‘Flanno $10; Pink bike $50; Amazing view and fresh beach air – Priceless!’;“Howard left his little sister at the winery to drive the car home, while he took the bike’; and ‘Margaret River, you want to give the shirt off your back to get there!’.
CEO at the Shire of Augusta-Margaret River, Gary Evershed, said that while the photo caption competition was really just a bit of fun, the intention was to reintroduce the South West to city-dwellers, who may not have visited the region for a while.
“Apart from the many witty one-liners, there were some very moving entries from people who obviously have special bonds and memories of the region,” he said. “We want to reignite these sentiments and encourage people to reconnect with the South West.”
The display was secured by the Augusta-Margaret River Tourism Association (AMRTA) through a successful bid to feature Margaret River as the 2012 Guest Town at the Royal Show. The City of Busselton and the Shire of Augusta-Margaret River decided to pool resources, highlighting the region’s attractions and tourist options from Flinders Bay to Geographe Bay.
Collaborative promotion of the broader region is one of the primary objectives of the Capes Region Organisation of Councils (CapeROC). According to CEO at the City of Busselton, Mike Archer, joint initiatives such as this represent fantastic value for money.
“Through the pooling of creative talent and a relatively small financial investment on the part of both councils, we were able to showcase the region to literally thousands of people in a highly professional and engaging way.”
