Whitehaven Beach nominated in national search for '7 Wonders of Australia

Whitehaven Beach

Whitehaven Beach has been nominated in a nation-wide voting initiative to determine the ‘7 Wonders of Australia’, with tens of thousands of Aussies expected to vote in what is set to be Australia’s largest-ever online travel poll.

Stretching for an impressive 7km along a horseshoe-shaped stretch of the island’s eastern shore, Whitehaven Beach has long been a posterchild of the state’s tourism collateral due to its breath taking contrasting colours.

While numerous lists and rankings for Australia’s most iconic sites have been made by individuals in the past, an Australian travel company is turning to crowdsourcing of the Australian public to vote as a nation to determine what our country’s greatest wonders are.

Led by the country’s largest online marketplace for travel experiences, Experience Oz, the ‘7 Wonders of Australia’ campaign asks Australians of voting age to select from a shortlist of 50 iconic Australian natural sites, landmarks and architectural icons submitted by state and regional tourism organisations from across the country.

In what will be the first domestic campaign of its kind and anticipated to be the largest in the country, the poll aims to reinforce Australia’s majestic sites as some of the best on the planet, encourage domestic travellers to explore the best of their backyard, and highlight conservation and environmental issues in a bid to encourage people to contribute to help preserve them.

Over the next three months, Aussies will have the opportunity to make history and vote for the ‘7 Wonders of Australia’, with nominees including the Blue Mountains, the Great Barrier Reef, Port Arthur Historic Site, Wave Rock, Fraser Island, Sydney Opera House, Uluru, the Shrine of Remembrance and more.

Tourism Whitsundays General Manager Natassia Wheeler said Whitehaven Beach is a common contender for one of the best beaches in the country and across the globe.

“Whitehaven Beach is regularly recognised as being one of the top beaches in Australia and the world, so it is fitting that this 7km stretch of silica has been nominated in the national search for the ‘7 Wonders of Australia’ campaign,” Ms Wheeler said.

“Whitehaven Beach offers a holiday for everyone, whether you are visiting just for the day, camping overnight or enjoying it whilst on your very own bareboating experience.”

With a number of nationwide and international organisations collaborating on the campaign in a quest to promote the ‘7 Wonders of the Australia’ and also engage conservation efforts, the once-off campaign is receiving significant support.

Once public voting closes in October, a shortlist of 20 Finalists from the top-voted nominees will be vetted by a reputable and expert panel of judges from throughout Australia’s tourism, conservation and non-for-profit sectors, who will deliberate and officially announce the ‘7 Wonders of Australia’ to the world.

The judging panel includes representation from some of Australia’s leading tourism and conservation organisations including Foundation for National Parks & Wildlife Fund (WWF), Great Barrier Reef Foundation, The Wilderness Society, RACQ, TicketMates and Experience Oz.

Experience Oz Marketing Manager Matt Hobbs said the campaign was designed to provide the fairest possible perspective on such a list of sites, while also shedding light on the importance of domestic travel and conservation of our wonders.

“People have been making lists of the top icons of Australia for years, but they have always come from the - often biased - perspective of one writer. We now live in the age of crowdsourcing and, given we work with thousands of tourism experience businesses across the country and collaborate with tourism organisations in each state, our distribution network allows us to get a massive sample size of Aussies’ opinions,” Mr Hobbs said.

“We’re asking people to weigh in based on a number of criteria such as desirability as a travel spot, natural and historic value, beauty and a number of other factors that make Australia’s sites and their experiences so amazing.

“We are thrilled to see Whitehaven Beach has been nominated as a contender for one of the ‘7 Wonders of Australia’ and we encourage everyone to have their say and get involved in championing what they believe are the greatest wonders.”

The wonders will be selected based on a comprehensive criterion, which considers the level of recognition, natural, architectural or cultural value, desirability and aspiration, rarity and uniqueness and tourism value of the wonder.

With threats to animal habitats, to environmental issues, to the impacts of fires and weather effects taking a toll on the greatest Wonder nominees, conservation will remain a big focus for the campaign. Experience Oz has partnered with a host of reputable organisations in an effort to drive donations and conservation efforts.

Whitehaven Beach

Public voting is now open and closes Sunday 7 October 2018, before the top 20 most-voted nominees are deliberated on by a panel of experts that will announce the top 7 Wonders of Australia in November 2018. Voters must be Australian residents of voting age.

Participants in the poll will have the opportunity to win one of seven complimentary prize packages to visit the 7 Wonders of Australia in person.

For more information or to vote, click [experienceoz.com.au/7Wonders]here or SMS WHITEHAVEN to 19 719 777.