Dressage by the Sea to bring much needed visitors to the South Coast
Willinga Park equestrian centre in Bawley Point is hosting its annual Dressage by the Sea event from 22 February to 1 March.
Held across two weekends, this prestigious event will have a break in the middle lasting several days to allow competitors to explore Bawley Point and all that the South Coast has to offer.
“After the immense challenges our region has faced this summer, encouraging visitors to the local area in support of local communities, is more important than ever. We hope our events at Willinga Park will help play a part in the recovery of the South Coast,’ says Willinga Park owner, Terry Snow.
Dressage by the Sea is classified as a CDI 4*, meaning it’s an event with a high calibre of judges, competitors and prize money.
“The best judges are usually only at CDI 4* events in the Northern Hemisphere and they have little exposure to Australian Olympic hopefuls,” says Mr Snow.
“With this event, we’re bringing some of the best judges in the world here to Willinga Park to make sure Australia’s athletes are seen and recognised in the sport.”
Dressage by the Sea will take a unique form with two back-to-back weekend competitions giving competitors two chances to make their mark and get a score benchmarking their performance against the rest of the world. It is the only CDI 4* event held in the Southern Hemisphere.
Above: Fiona Selby and 'Tacita' winners of the Grand Prix CDI4* Freestyle at Dressage by the Sea 2019.
Several New Zealand competitors will be taking part in the competition this year, with fellow New Zealanders also having booked spectator tickets.
‘We’re proud that this event, in our small town of Bawley Point, is now truly international. All our equestrian events are live streamed and we’re finding more and more people from overseas are tuning in to watch.’
Says Mr Snow. ‘Each day of Dressage by the Sea will be live streamed via the Willinga Park website, which will also help promote our remarkable region to a wider audience.’
As well as experiencing the world-class equestrian facilities, spectators at the event will also have an opportunity to discover Willinga Parks botanical gardens, outdoor sculptures and award-winning architecture.
Above: As well as discovering the graceful sport of dressage, explore the grounds of Willinga Park, the largest botanical gardens in southern NSW, featuring rare and Australian natives, waterfalls, ponds and marvel at over 30 sculptures made specifically to suit the landscape. A café and bar will be open daily, with a bus tour of the property running over the weekends. The Willinga Park restaurant will also be open on various days. Bookings are essential for the restaurant and details are available on the website. Dressage by the Sea 2020 runs from 22nd February – 1 st March. Information and tickets available at https://willingapark.com.au/events/dressage-by-the-sea-2020/.
