Dressage by the Sea is expected to bring much-needed visitors to the South Coast in the wake of devastating bushfires.
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Willinga Park equestrian centre in Bawley Point, is hosting its annual Dressage by the Sea event from February 22 to March 1.
Held across two weekends, this prestigious event will have a break in the middle lasting several days to allow competitors to explore Bawley Point and all that the South Coast has to offer.
Residents of Bawley Point, Kioloa and Termeil were directly impacted by the Currowan bushfire in late November, early December and Willinga Park also came under direct threat.
"After the immense challenges our region has faced this summer, encouraging visitors to the local area in support of local communities, is more important than ever. We hope our events at Willinga Park will help play a part in the recovery of the South Coast," Willinga Park owner Terry Snow said in a statement.
Dressage by the Sea is classified as a CDI four-star event, meaning it's an event with a high calibre of judges, competitors and prize money.
"The best judges are usually only at CDI 4* events in the Northern Hemisphere and they have little exposure to Australian Olympic hopefuls," Mr Snow said.
"With this event, we're bringing some of the best judges in the world here to Willinga Park to make sure Australia's athletes are seen and recognised in the sport."
Dressage by the Sea will take a unique form with two back-to-back weekend competitions giving competitors two chances to make their mark and get a score benchmarking their performance against the rest of the world.
It is the only CDI 4* event held in the Southern Hemisphere.
Several New Zealand competitors will be taking part in the competition this year, with fellow Kiwis also having booked spectator tickets. Each day of the event will also be live-streamed via Willinga Park's website.
"We're proud that this event, in our small town of Bawley Point, is now truly international. All our equestrian events are live streamed and we're finding more and more people from overseas are tuning in to watch," Mr Snow said.
As well as experiencing the world-class equestrian facilities, spectators at the event will also have an opportunity to discover Willinga Park's botanical gardens, outdoor sculptures and award-winning architecture.
Information and tickets available at https://willingapark.com.au/events/dressage-by-the-sea-2020/.