Building community, one event at a time
There are some pretty cool things happening at the The Lake Albert Caravan Park of late. You may have noticed vintage caravans gathered by the lake, or the locals gathered at the park for a session.
It's all part of the grand plan devised by Jacqui Grant and Troy Fynnaart, the community minded owners of Meningie’s lakeside caravan park. The self-motivated business partners firmly believe tourism is vital to the success of Meningie and the Coorong, and they're determined to do their bit to build the industry.
“We’ve hosted a classic Vintage Caravan Weekend, a fabulous Melbourne Cup and we’re keen to continue with special events that include live music,” Jacqui said.
Jacqui and Troy are keen to build a community atmosphere for both travellers and locals alike and they do this through a range of creative events. More recently, they have partnered with Coorong Tours to promote a range of local tours for guests.
‘We recently took our team and did a ‘road test’ of the Secrets of the Coorong Tour. It blew us away. We went all-out with the Coorong Tours team and did the Deluxe Champagne version – limo bus, bubbles and all the bells and whistles. It was a lot of fun, interesting and a real eye opener,’ Jacqui says.
‘Guests will be able to organise their own transport, or let Coorong Tours do it for them. Then they just need to pick a tour, decide the mode, and show up to the caravan park for a good time,’ says Jacqui. ‘It’s so easy, and a great way to explore the district.’
Jacqui and Troy love seeing both visitors and locals coming to the park to socialise. ‘Meningie is such a great place to live – we didn’t know what to expect when we came from Adelaide, we didn’t know anyone and we came into town ‘cold turkey’. People have been welcoming and friendly, and have inspired us to get involved.’
Both are now emotionally attached to the region, and have committed to it beyond the caravan park. Troy owns the popular Blue House Holiday Home in Meningie and Jacqui owns a beautiful block of land in Milang.
So what’s the secret to enjoying what they do? Jacqui loves meeting people and doesn’t operate on a strict business plan. ‘We can relax and enjoy this business and all the people we meet – provided we can multi-task!’
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