Kelly Kuhn, founder of Juggle House Experiences, says pre-Covid New Zealand made up about half of the company’s market but now it is considerably less.
‘It hasn’t really built back and I think it is because of the double impact of the pandemic and then the Murray River flooding in 2022-23. Our message to the Kiwi market is that the whole region is accessible and there are some great experiences to be had here.’
Juggle House is at the Australian Tourism Exchange in Adelaide this week as part of the Murray Lakes and Coorong District and conducted a pre-famil in the lead up to the event. The famil started on Saturday morning, with a trip into Hahndorf a picturesque town in the Adelaide hills with a strong German heritage. Here Reisin Hotel was used as a base as the famil group visited Pike & Joyce Wines for a tasting and insight into the region’s history, then lunch at Mount Lofty Ranges Vineyard.
‘Handorf is reinvigorated, it’s come back to its origins celebrating the areas artisans,’ says Kuhn.
The second part of the day was spent on Juggle House’s prime tour – the River Murray Dark Sky Experience. The regular tour starts in Mannum (tagline: gateway to the Galaxy) and heads into the 3,200 sqkm River Murray International Dark Sky Reserve for an entertaining and informative presentation by astronomers.
Along the way guests take a small boat cruise on the Murray, getting close to the spectacular Bowhill Cliffs and birdlife with Levi Kleeman on MV Charters and Tours. The tour also includes dinner at Walker Flat – on the famil it was served in the town’s general store.
While the natural attractions will entice clients onto this tour, the real charm is in the Australian rural community life experienced and a few characters met along the way – ferry drivers, locals that turn up out of nowhere for a quick chat with Kuhn, the store operators and the local astronomers.
