West Coast Eagles swoop on Exmouth

The West Coast Eagles have announced that they are delighted to be travelling to the Gascoyne region in Western Australia's north west for the 2011 Telstra AFL Community Camp program.

Two groups of Eagles players, coaches and officials will visit Carnarvon and Exmouth on the 3rd and 4th February, visiting local schools, aged care facilities and hospitals during their stay.

Since the initiative began in 2003, the Eagles have visited regional towns across the state, including Albany, Kalgoorlie, Esperance, Geraldton, Narrogin, Karratha, Port Hedland and Mandurah providing a rare opportunity for fans of the West Coast Eagles to meet the players before the season proper gets underway.

Watch the club website for itinerary updates in the coming weeks.

Snorkeling on Ningaloo Reef

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Travel Guide | Travel Info | Travel Tips: Top 10 Best Underwater Experiences Around the World

Travel Guide | Travel Info | Travel Tips: Top 10 Best Underwater Experiences Around the World

Exmouth lands top deal

As Reported in The Guardian - Wednesday November 24, 2010
Branwen Smith and Caleb Samson

"Flight services to the Gascoyne are up in the air following sweeping regulatory changes.

Exmouth is the big winner with potential opening for competitive airline fares and tourism industry opportunities.

North West MLA Vincent Catania confirmed key players Skywest and Qantas had been told they would service the Learmonth to Perth route from March.

Mr Catania said this was the great outcome that the Exmouth community had wanted.  "Hopefully this will lead to competition and cheaper fares with more seats available," he said.

He said the pulling ability and greater marketing power of Qantas would put Exmouth on the map not only throughout Australia, but also internationally.

Skywest has come to a code-share agreement with Virgin Blue, which means passengers will be able to book tickets from around Australia and the world to Learmonth through Virgin Blue and Qantas.

Exmouth Chamber of Commerce and Industry chairman Jon Warren said he believed a turning point came earlier in the year when talks between ECCI and the Shire of Exmouth led to the Government being asked to not make Exmouth subsidise the other locations on the western coastal route.

Local Tourism business owner Kim Tapper has campaigned for many years to see competition brought into Exmouth's airline service. "I'm elated that we've now got competition into the Ningaloo region which will open up our unique product to the world," Mr Tapper said.

He said people would be able to book an airfare from anywhere in the world to Learmonth.

Skywest has confirmed an expansion of its code-share agreement with Virgin Blue to include Exmouth, Monkey Mia and Carnarvon from December 1.

Scientists confirm key fish nursery at Ningaloo

Ningaloo's whale sharks, the biggest fish on Earth, may be world famous but the area is also critical for numerous smaller species.

Studies undertaken by the AIMS in collaboration with the DEC and the WA Marine Science Institution have highlighted the importance of ensuring greater protection for key areas of Ningaloo. Ningaloo's place as one of the nation's most precious marine environments has been confirmed with new research identifying the region as a significant fish nursery site.

Research has confirmed that the northern and central parts of Ningaloo Marine Park in particular were important for many species of reef fish. During the past two years researchers have been studying the reef to create a cost-effective and safe way to conduct a long-term monitoring program of reef health in the marine park based on the growth and recruitment of coral and fish. The project has been designed to provide management agencies with a template of how best to monitor annual recruitment processed within Ningaloo Marine Park.