CARAVANNERS and other travellers will be heading to Coonalpyn in SA
next month for the town's second four-day RV festival.
They will be entertained by a bumper program of arts, culture, history and
nature-based recreation.
Opening on March 1, the Silo Sights - RV Basecamp Coonalpyn
Festival is expected to attract new visitors
from all over Australia.
It will be hosted by the Coorong District Council and Coonalpyn community
and will build on the success of the inaugural 2017 event, which coincided
with renowned artist Guido van Helten putting his final touches on the
now-famous 30-metre high silo mural.
As its name suggests, taking in the impressive silo art and other Creating
Coonalpyn art installations (such as the giant mosaic) are cornerstones of
the event.
Mayor Paul Simmons said he was looking forward to welcoming RV enthusiasts
from across Australia to the district.
"We are very proud of our region and this will be a great opportunity for
council, local businesses and the community to show our visitors why," he
said.
Range of
experiences not seen anywhere else on RVers' travels
|
"The RV festival program offers a range of experiences that visitors will
not have seen anywhere else on their travels, from the natural beauty of
the Coorong environment to the hands-on experience of fossicking for Mega
Fauna fossils.
"Just in case we receive a repeat of January's hot weather, the Coonalpyn
swimming complex – which celebrates 50 years during the RV fest – will
also be open to visitors during the event."
The program includes visits to the Careship Coorong snail farm and yurt,
Coorong National Park, Point Malcolm Lighthouse, the Birdman of the
Coorong ostrich replica, Meningie’s lake front and Raukkan – the
birthplace of preacher, author and inventor David Uniapon, who features
alongside the Raukkan church on the Australian $50 note.
In a special new feature for this year, visitors travelling with canine
companions will be catered for with a Doggy Day Tour.
Festivalgoers will enjoy entertainment, themed dress-up nights and
activities such as yoga, local produce tastings and barefoot bowls.
There will also be a market and car boot sale on March 3 at the Coonalpyn
Football Oval.
Mayor Simmons congratulated local businesses and community groups for
getting involved in the festival by hosting events and said there was the
potential for the event to have a big economic impact on the town and
district.
"We're encouraging those visiting for the RV fest to support our fantastic
local businesses and community groups by attending the range of evening
dinners and entertainment on offer," he said.
"It's an exciting time for tourism in our region, with the RV festival
just around the corner and the renewed interest in the Coorong following
the release of the Storm Boy remake.
"We have been working to make our district more welcoming to RV travellers,
with a new RV dump point installed in Tintinara last year and development
of tourist attractions such as the Murray Coorong Trail.
"Our region is a great place to stop, stay and play, and with so much to
experience we’re hoping to tempt the RV travellers to stay for longer, or
return again soon."
The full RV festival program can be downloaded at:
https://www.coorong.sa.gov.au/rvfest or is available in hard copy
from the council offices and Visitor Information Centres in Tintinara,
Meningie and Tailem Bend.