South Australian residents can this week apply for $100, $200 or $500 vouchers to spend on coastal stays and experiences. Here’s how to book your holiday – and why it makes a difference to local communities.
Thinking about a beach escape? Now’s the time.
The ballot for South Australia’s Coast is Calling travel voucher program opens this Friday. And you could score vouchers of up to $500 for a coastal holiday while helping local tourism businesses bounce back after a tough run – from COVID and cost-of-living pressures to the algal bloom.
To find out what kind of experiences are on offer, we spoke to Tiffany Falzon from Bayside Glamping – where guests fall asleep to the sound of waves and wake up to kangaroos grazing out the front.
Built with driftwood, reclaimed timber – and a lot of heart
Tiffany didn’t mean to become a tourism operator. She was living in Sydney, working as an assistant accountant, when she had an idea to set up a bell tent on her dad’s block in her hometown of Marion Bay on the Yorke Peninsula.
“He offered me a patch of land and his shed full of reclaimed materials,” she says. “We built it together. We thought we’d get a booking every second weekend. It booked out for summer.”
That tent became Bayside Glamping, now home to three adults-only stays – a luxury tent, an off-grid tiny house, and a timber-and-glass retreat called The Sanctuary. Everything has been built by hand – mostly by Tiffany, her dad and her partner Luke – using salvaged materials and driven by a love for nature, design and local connection.
“Bayside Glamping is more than just a business,” Tiffany says. “It’s a love letter to the place I grew up, a creative project that’s grown alongside me, and a chance to share the magic of Marion Bay with guests looking to slow down and reconnect.”
“You can drift off to the sound of waves in the glamping tent, ride bikes into town, or switch off completely at the off-grid tiny house.
“The Sanctuary gives you a whole acre to yourself – right in the heart of Marion Bay, across from the tavern and jetty.”
The latest additions to Bayside Glamping’s visitor perks are two very photogenic horses, always happy to accept a pat if you’re in need of some equine therapy.
“People love having them around,” says Tiffany. “Who doesn’t want a bubble bath with horses just outside?”
The power of local support
Like many small businesses along the coast, Bayside Glamping has felt the ripple effects of SA’s current algal bloom. The bloom itself didn’t cause major issues in Marion Bay, but the headlines did.
“We didn’t have a single guest complaint at first,” Tiffany says. “But once it was in the news, people started cancelling. One guest pulled a four-night booking because they were worried about breathing the air. It was a beautiful, clear day.”
After surviving the early COVID years thanks to domestic tourism, she says this winter has been one of the hardest for her small business.
“If we didn’t have our third property, we wouldn’t have made it through. But we’re still here. And now we’re ready to welcome people back.”
Enter the vouchers
The Coast is Calling voucher program lets South Australian residents over the age of 18 apply for a $100, $200 or $500 voucher to spend on accommodation or experiences in eligible coastal postcodes.
The ballot runs from 19-22 September, and travel can be booked through to the end of November.
For Tiffany, it’s a chance to not only fill bookings, but lift the whole region. Each of her voucher-eligible packages includes a bonus from another small, local business.
“We’ve created three packages – and each one includes a treat from a local business that wouldn’t be eligible for the voucher program on their own. It’s our way of sharing the love.”
The added treats in the Bayside Glamping packages include a cupcake box from Holy Cake in Minlaton, a gin tasting kit from Lost Tide Distillery in Stansbury, and a breakfast and morning tea basket made by Hamper on Yorkes – a mum-run business in Minlaton.
Tiffany says the benefits of the voucher program spread even further, to keep local money circulating through the hands of people who live and work in SA’s regional towns.
“If people aren’t coming down, they’re not stopping at the bakery, the bottle shop, the servo. They’re not spending that dollar on the peninsula. And that affects all of us.”
Why now is the perfect time to travel local
Spring is a spectacular time to hit the coast – wildflowers are blooming, the weather’s warming up, the wildlife is out, and there’s still room to move before the summer rush.
And with the Coast is Calling vouchers highlighting the range of experiences and accommodation on offer in our coastal destinations, there’s something for every kind of traveller.
You might want a peaceful stay in nature, like Tiffany’s Bayside Glamping in Marion Bay.
Or maybe you’re keen to shuck oysters with Kangaroo Island Oysters, learn to surf with Neptunes Experiences, or spot dolphins on a Big Duck Boat Tour on the Fleurieu.
Whether you’re planning a romantic weekend, family fun in the school holidays, a birthday getaway, or just a break from the everyday, this is your chance to explore the coast, support local, and treat yourself — all with a discount.
What else is being done?
The Coast is Calling voucher program is part of a $28 million algal bloom support package from the South Australian and Commonwealth Governments. It includes:
- Business grants and recovery services
- Public forums and information campaigns
- Expanded support for commercial fishers and oyster growers
- Community grants, beach clean-ups, and scientific monitoring.
But for most of us, the most meaningful thing we can do is this: book the trip. Celebrate your anniversary. Plan a birthday. Take a couple of days off. Spend your money somewhere local – there are families behind these businesses who will truly appreciate it.
As Tiffany says: “Sometimes you’ve just got to celebrate life. You never know what’s around the corner”.
For all the information on the Coast is Calling voucher program, click here. For full terms and conditions, go to southaustralia.com/voucher. Licence No: T25/1530.
For algal bloom updates, health advice and more about government support, click here.
