Population explosion as tourists flock to South West

The South West is bustling with tourists this school holiday period as families hit the road to explore the region, with many accommodation providers, businesses and attractions reaping the benefits. Accommodation providers and businesses are reporting a big increase across the South West, from Harvey to Manjimup and across to the Capes. Bussell Highway was swamped with cars heading towards Perth on Monday as the long weekend ended, but for some travellers that was only the beginning of their holiday. Patricia and David Forbes made the trip down from Baldivis on Monday and are calling the Discovery Parks Bunbury Foreshore home for the next few nights. “Usually we go to Melbourne in the winter school holidays but obviously that wasn’t possible because of COVID,” Mrs Forbes said. Bunbury’s proximity to Busselton and Baldivis was a draw card for the not-so-seasoned campers. “We quite like coming to Bunbury because it’s not too far away from home and we’re not seasoned campers so we like to be close in case we need to quickly pack up and head back,” Mrs Forbes said. “There’s lots to do in Bunbury and its close enough to Busselton and Margaret River that we can hop in the car and go for a drive.” Bunbury Farmers Market owner Leith Johnston said he had noticed a big jump in the number of tourists visiting the South West. “Monday’s public holiday was an extremely busy day with people coming and going both ways,” Mr Johnston said. “You sense people who may have gone over east to watch the footy or up to Bali for the weekend can’t do that, so instead they’re home and holidaying locally which is great for all businesses in the region.” Discovery Parks Bunbury Foreshore and Bunbury Village park manager Richard Murphy said they had been jam-packed since school finished and numbers were up on last year. “Our cabins are full this week and we’re still quite busy next week,” he said. Busselton Holiday Village owner Rob Johnston said they were busier than they probably had ever been for this school holidays. “We’ve got a few gaps in the second week but I imagine they’ll fill as we go,” he said. “Will it make up for the three or four months that we got slam dunked? No it won’t, but it will certainly help.” Further south, tourists have also flocked to the shires of Manjimup and Bridgetown-Greenbushes, with accommodation providers having a better than average season. Manjimup Visitor Centre manager Samantha Hill said they were a lot busier than at the same time last year. “We’ve been getting a lot more people from Perth, obviously to do with COVID-19 and the restrictions on the border,” she said. South West attractions have also been inundated with tourists, with St Aidan Wines owner Phil Smith saying they were run off their feet in one of the best long weekends they have had. Near Harvey, WA dairy icon Harvey Cheese was flooded with thousands of tourists just days into the school holidays. Cheesemaker Robert St Duke said his shop had seen visitors skyrocket 130 per cent. Out towards the Capes, the recently renovated Swings and Roundabouts Winery in Wilyabrup has seen thousands of customers who bought about $50,000 worth of pizza in just one weekend, while Dunsborough’s Monkey Business saw hundreds of kids swinging on the zip lines and feeding the animals. In Margaret River there were lines at the Xanadu cellar door on Sunday as tourists clambered for a taste of Australia’s best cabernet sauvignon while carparks were full at Boranup forest as families explored the wild wonderland among the karri trees and enjoyed tours of the ancient Mammoth Cave.