Smiths Beach Resort is located within pristine natural environment, and it is important to us to minimise our carbon footprint and contribute to ensuring that neighbouring Smiths Beach and the Leeuwin Naturaliste National Park will continue to be around for generations to come.
Sustainability is ingrained in all parts of our business and is a long-term goal that we have approached and will continue to address in a purposeful and strategic way.
Read on to learn how we are contributing to our sustainability goals.
Architecture
Smiths Beach Resort has been designed to subtly blend in with the natural environment. You might notice that the buildings are seamlessly tucked-in behind the sand dune with similar colours that you will find in the surrounding environment.
Education tours and experiences
We partner with a number of tourism providers who aim to educate visitors on the unique ecosystem of the Margaret River Region. From cave tours, whale watching, nocturnal animal adventures and guided hiking you can view and book our nature experiences directly via our website.
Electronic Vehicles
Guest carparks are located below or next to each accommodation type offering a standard electric point in each garage to support electric vehicle charging. Guests are required to bring their own charger component for their individual vehicle.
Explore on foot
Our location invites guests to leave their car at their accommodation and explore the region on foot. With the Cape-to-Cape Track, running past the front door of the resort and spanning the length of the Margaret River Region it is possible to see a lot of our natural attractions by foot. Additionally, beachgoers and surfers can simply walk across the road to enjoy a day at the beach or catch a world-class wave.
Fairtrade and organic
When onboarding new suppliers, we ensure that they adhere to the Modern Slavery Act. Where possible we source organic and recyclable materials for example our beach bags and beach towels that are made from are made from organic cotton.
Gardens
Not only do local plants compliment the natural look of the resort they are also best suited to grow in our climate conditions. The Peppermint Trees, Kangaroo Paws and other Australian varieties you will see in the Resort gardens require less water to grow and assist in preserving this valuable resource.
In recent years, the Margaret River Region has been plagued by the Arum Lily, an introduced plant that competes with local vegetation and is poisonous to native species. We are actively involved in community management strategies to control this pest on our property.
Infrastructure
In 2022 we installed 270 Solar panels to further support our sustainability endeavors. This significant project was a major step forward to supply renewable electricity to support an increased reliance on electricity for rooms and public areas such as the heated pool. Read more about our solar electricity project.
Paperless
We aim to send all information digitally where possible. For example, you will receive a request for your pre-check in information via email and your information will be stored securely digitally. We know that this might not be everyone’s preference and printing can be arranged by request.
Recycling
Each internal kitchen bin has a section for recyclables and the outdoor bins include a recycling bin denoted by the yellow lid.
Sustainable and single use
You may notice that bathroom amenities are provided in large pump bottles that can be refilled rather than replacing with smaller take-away bottles. We partner with LaGaia Unedited for all our in-room amenities, a brand that is 100% Australian Made, uses renewable resources and offsets travel emissions.
Where reusing isn’t an option, we ensure products are made from the best possible materials. For example, our single use slippers are organic and contain no plastic packaging, our clothes hangers are made from wood and glass is used in place of plastic.
Towels and bedding
Additional towels and bedding are available by request to avoid providing unnecessary replacements. We are conscious that in general the highest use of water and electricity in hotels are attributed to the cleaning of these items and we can significantly reduce waste by providing these on-demand. We encourage guests to play an active role in water conservation by reusing towels where appropriate.
Likewise, additional towels for pool or beach use are available on request to avoid over supplying for those that do not wish to use these services.
Traditional Owners
We are proud to acknowledge the traditional owners of the land on which we operate, the Wadandi Saltwater people. We encourage guests to learn more about this important culture with local custodian Josh Webb. Guests can learn about bush medicine, dreamtime legends and a digeridoo performance with the Twilight Digeridoo Cave Tour that is bookable via our website.
Water
The majority of our water supply is locally sourced spring water and is a precious resource in our rural location. We have a number of measures in place in order to minimise water consumption without compromising guest comfort. This includes water-minimising shower heads and toilets with a dual flush option.