The game is free to play and participants can go in the draw to win a ‘real deal’ Grampians holiday valued at $1000.
Mrs McDonald said she was excited to bring the beauty of the Grampians to families who had been unable to experience the region due to COVID-19 travel restrictions.
“The Grampians Virtual Holiday includes engaging activities that are designed to entertain and educate kids about the region,” she said.
“It’s already had a lot of traction and I’ve had a lot of positive feedback.
“I’ve had some people who had never heard of the Grampians before say that once we reopen they will come and stay with me.
“The app has got a lot of potential.”
Mrs McDonald said the new Grampians Virtual Holiday included activities such as a downloadable word search, cubby house building, riddles to solve, arts and crafts, camping-themed charades, smores games and more.
“When COVID-19 started I still wanted to be able to communicate with my customers and beyond, so I made it so the game was triggered by touch rather than GPS,” she said.
“Once each activity and puzzle is completed, it will unlock a letter of a code word. Once the word has been decoded, participants can enter to win the ‘real deal’ holiday.”
The holiday includes a cabin or glamping stay at Halls Gap Lakeside Tourist Park, a Halls Gap Zoo animal encounter, a meal at Halls Gap Hotel and a Coola’s Ice Creamery voucher.
“There are also monthly and weekly prizes to be won,” Mrs McDonald said.
“Even though they are starting to lift restrictions, people can still play at home. It’s a nice thing to do at any time, particularly for young families.”
Mrs McDonald said she decided to develop the app to offer ‘something extra’ to her customers.
“I’m from the Netherlands and everyone in the Netherlands is extremely competitive,” she said.
“A lot of people are into interactive games. Dutch people are always looking for something different to everyone else – I’m not exactly sure why, but it’s true.
“In the Netherlands, going to a restaurant isn’t good enough anymore. It is very common to do a GPS hunt around a city first and then meet up for pizza.
“I’m always trying to do something outside of the box. I like things that are bold and unique and I like to provide something extra for my guests to keep me above the pack.”
Staying positive
Mrs McDonald said she and her husband Rohan had been doing their best to remain positive throughout the pandemic, by using their time to further upgrade the park.
“We bought Lakeside eight years ago and since day one we have made the park a little better,” she said.
“We were able to borrow a massive chunk of money to stay afloat during these unpredicted times, which has been exciting because we can use staff to do those projects we didn’t have time to finish previously.”
The McDonalds are renovating amenities blocks and an office, reviewing the park’s organisational structure and tidying up garden areas.
They have welcomed the State Government’s decision to allow overnight stays from June 1.
“We will be able to have people stay in our cabins and glamping tents, as well as self-contained accommodation including caravans,” Mrs McDonald said.
“We won’t be able to open communal facilities and there will be restrictions for the swimming pools.
“It’s exciting and it will be good for people’s mental health to be allowed out and about again.
“We will be glad to see some happy faces in the region but everyone does need to stick to the rules to prevent the spread of COVID-19.”
Mrs McDonald said the Victoria Tourism Industry Council was developing a set of protocols for businesses preparing to resume operations.
“We will have very clear instructions about how we deal with staff and guests, cleaning of the cabins and other operational matters,” she said.
“All guests will receive an information sheet about what they can expect and what is expected of them during their stay.
“Keep in mind this is not all just about fun. While it is fantastic we are able to reopen, we need to be very careful.”
People can visit hallsgaplakeside.com for more information or to book.
The Grampians Treasure Hunt app is available on the website at hallsgaplakeside.com/
virtual-grampians-holiday/.
Entries for the Real Deal Grampians Virtual Holiday close on July 31, with the winner announced on August 3.
The entire May 27, 2020 edition of The Weekly Advertiser is available online. READ IT HERE!
The entire May 27, 2020 edition of AgLife is available online. READ IT HERE!
