Month: November 2022

Dual Olympian Amie Thompson will be taking on the SunSmart Busselton 100 Triathlon in 2023!

Amie Thompson announced her retirement Artistic Swimming in August 2021 after an incredible career spanning more than 10 years. Amie represented Australia at both the Rio (team) and Tokyo 2020 (duet, team and team co-captain) Olympic Games.

After stepping away from international competition, Amie needed a new challenge that would satisy her athletic and competitive nature and test her limits. She had always been interested in and inspired by triathlon because of the nature of having multiple disciplines.

“I’m a decent swimmer and runner already, so I bought a very basic bike and just decided to give it a go,” said Amie.

In her first month of training she had a few crashes and injuries, although this did not stop her determination to improve. Amie upgraded her bike and got back in the saddle.

Seeking coached support, she joined Stadium Triathlon Club and was welcomed with supportive and open arms. She began competing in smaller local events and took on her first Triathlon WA State Series race in October 2022.

“It’s been such an interesting and fun transition from Artistic Swimming to Triathlon, learning the science behind endurance sport and periodising my training,” she said.

Tackling the sport head on, Amie’s first big race will be the IM 70.3 in December and she’ll be rounding out season 2022/23 with the SunSmart Busselton 100!

“I’m most looking forward to seeing how I improve throughout the season to see how well I can push myself in the Busselton Festival of Triathlon. It’s a sport where you have to play it smart to push your limits and I love that! I’m looking forward to seeing where this sport can take me,” said Amie.

Inspired to register too? Head HERE!

We are thrilled to welcome Scody on board as our Bike Leg Partner for the 2023 event.

Scody is an Australian made globally recognized custom sports wear brand, offering exceptional quality and service. Scody has established itself as a market leader in performance apparel with a key focus in Triathlon and Cycling.

Scody clothing is engineered and constructed specifically to achieve the balance between comfort, function and high performance. They design and manufacture their quality triathlon garments in-house, and offer tailored and customised options to suit all athletes.

In addition to supporting our event, Scody is offering custom SunSmart Busselton 100 tri kits, jerseys, socks and race bibs. Purchase yours now here: https://www.scody.com/407-triathlon-western-australia-busselton-100

An ancient land of wondrous, otherworldly and dreamlike adventures

Leave the everyday behind, get away from the well-known and well-trodden and reconnect with something unspoilt — even a little wild — in Western Australia.

The country’s largest State, boasting the nation’s longest coastline and sunniest capital city of Perth / Boorloo, Western Australia is a place to recharge your spirit — outdoors in the fresh air and wide-open spaces, where it’s always summer somewhere.

Experience otherworldly phenomena and majestic landscapes with supernatural contrasts of colour and texture. Awe-inspiring wilderness and boundless natural adventures.
See bubble gum pink lakes, horizontal waterfalls, tall timber forests and the world’s oldest and largest outdoor art galleries. Swim with gentle whale sharks, manta rays or humpback whales over the world’s largest fringing coral reef, or tackle an iconic four-wheel-drive outback adventure.

Gaze at dreamlike landscapes from an open-door helicopter or stand in the stillness of an ancient cave. Raise a glass to an Indian Ocean sunset at one of Perth’s nineteen world-class beaches or escape to your own secluded coastline, including Australia’s whitest beach. Witness carpets of colourful wildflowers in bloom, see a staircase to the moon or hike pristine wilderness to natural wonders shaped by billions of years.

Learn the stories of this land from Western Australian locals – from the urban laneways and scenic parks of Perth to walks on Country with an Aboriginal guide from the world’s oldest living culture. Sip your way through Australia’s most premium wine country in the Margaret River Region, where tall-timber forests meet turquoise oceans, or cruise to Rottnest Island / Wadjemup to meet a quokka, the happiest animal in the world.

LEARN MORE

https://www.westernaustralia.com/au/pages/western-australia-walking-on-a-dream

On Friday 28 October 2022, our team travelled to Busselton Western Australia to visit the volunteers of Ludlow Tuart Restoration Group and learn more about what they do. Holger Topp, former President of the group, was our guide and graciously shared his knowledge with us.

It’s difficult to explain the sheer scale of their conservation efforts unless you see them in person. Acres and acres of replanted forest, community involvement, recording of stories, and the loving restoration of an entire historic settlement.

FOREST RESTORATION

Their work to restore the forest includes growing and planting Tuart seedlings, arum lily and weed eradication, creating habitats for wildlife like birds and possums, and getting local schools and volunteers involved in planting and conservation. Their newly restored office establishes a place for people to learn and meet, and a new greenhouse provides a great place to cultivate seedlings.

What do they plan to do in the future?

• Within the next 45 years they plans to restore the tall tuart forest canopy allow ecosystem dependent biodiversity to return.
• Manage threats, Human, animal, plant, insect and pathogen.
• Forest protection and conservation
• Provide facilities to support, protect, breed and reintroduce dependent biodiversity, jobs and growth.
  Develop multifaceted tourism with links to estuary and RAMSAR listed wetlands bird sanctuary.

LUDLOW HISTORIC SETTLEMENT AND MILL

Many who have visited Busselton might not even know about the Ludlow Forestry Mill and Settlement, originally established in 1918. It was once a vibrant little town nestled among the trees. The Ludlow Tuart Forest Restoration Group are working hard to reclaim items stolen from the site over the years, and undo the damage from vandalism with the hopes of creating a place the community can be proud of.

What do they plan to do in the future?

The Heritage Council listed mill and settlement buildings will undergo significant conservation restoration. The masterplan includes a tuart forest education centre, cafe, nature playground and nature trails, Indigenous tree arboretum and native plant nursery. The surrounding remnant forest will be rehabilitated with understory vegetation previously found on the site, restoring the biodiversity and providing fauna habitat.

The former school building will be repurposed as a community hall and the main workshop, a function centre for major events. The settlement cottages and gardens will be restored back to their authentic era of construction, providing tourist accommodation, together with new single quarters and a nature based campground.

LEARN MORE

Want to learn more? Please visit their website or Facebook page.