The Big Banana. Uluru. The Opera House. Bondi Icebergs. Austalia has a lot of big bright tourist attractions. But there are also some more ‘underground’ destinations deserving of some love. With the pandemic sparking a resurgence in domestic trips (the corollary to a massive slump in overseas travel), to help travellers go beyond the tourist trail, online travel agency Webjet has launched a competition which aims to uncover Australia’s lesser lauded locales.
The competition encourages Australians to share unique and interesting shots of their local area on Instagram, with the hashtag, #ShowUsYourAus, in return for the chance to win a $1,000 Webjet eGift Card.
Launching at the start of September, Webjet’s “Show Us Your Australia” campaign has seen 538 posts at the time of writing, ranging from ‘under bridge’ angles of Queensland’s Hervey Bay to quirky shots of Adelaide’s growing city scene (caption: “not a single building in this photo is over three years old”) to understated images of The Murray River National Park’s Lyrup Flats.
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That’s before we get to the incredible rockpools at Western Australia’s Injidup…
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… the dramatic Redbank Gorge…
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… and the whales at Middleton beach.
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Further shots show how, just around the corner from some of the country’s most oversaturated tourist destinations (think: Manly and Bondi), there are some lesser licked slices of paradise ripe for the ‘gramming (see: the bower off Shelly Beach and Bronte).
In launching this competition, Webjet says it aims to make everyday Aussies the experts, “giving them a platform to boast about their favourite regional spot – be it somewhere in their home state, or a place they’ve visited in the past.”
Those that share are in with the chance to win a $1,000 Webjet eGift Card, to put towards visiting other highlighted top spots themselves.
Entrants have two options to get involved: visual entries can be submitted through Instagram, using an original photo they have taken of their nominated location or place. All Instagram entries must tag Webjet (@webjet_au) and include the hashtag #ShowUsYourAus and #competition. Alternatively, entrants can visit the Webjet Facebook page and post their answer, in 25 words or less, to the question, “Why do you want to show off Your Australia to other travellers?”. These written responses can be submitted in the comments section of the pinned ‘Show Us Your Australia’ post. Four winners will be selected from Instagram and four winners will be chosen from Facebook.
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David Galt, Webjet OTA CEO comments, “We all know that 2020 has been one of the toughest years on record for tourism. Webjet is committed to sustaining and rejuvenating the travel industry, by providing those areas and economies reliant on tourism with much needed support. As restrictions on international travel continue indefinitely, domestic tourism is the way forward for many of us.”
“With our ‘Show Us Your Australia’ campaign, we want to provide both getaway inspiration and the chance for locals to show us their own part of their hometown or region. This is the opportunity for locals to shout about those unique and interesting spots that others may not be aware of – for who knows a destination better than the people who call it home? We are looking forward to seeing an incredible array of places to visit, and hope that the prospect of seeing and experiencing these sights further tempts travellers into getting out to regional Australia and supporting those that live there.”
More to come as the (film) develops.