BACKGROUND:

Ecotourism  is a unique  opportunity for Western Australia.  And the Kimberley region is an ideal ecotourism destination as it is one of the world’s last great wilderness areas. Covering approximately nearly 423,000 square kilometres, this region has fewer people per square kilometre than almost any other place on Earth. 

Some of the greatest tourism attractions come directly from the enjoyment of the natural environment – beaches, rivers, geological formations, grand forests and a multitude of wildflowers for which Western Australia is famous.  Tourism developments that rely on these environmental features represent an important and growing source of employment and economic return to regional communities.

Tourism Western Australia recognised this in 1983 when Hector Ceballos-Lascurain in Mexico City coined the phrase ‘ecotourism.’ He defined it as “travelling to relatively undisturbed or uncontaminated areas with the specific object of studying, admiring, and enjoying the scenery, its wild plants and animals, as well as any existing cultural manifestations found in these areas.” This description suits the type of tourism experiences readily available in Western Australia and specifically the Kimberley region.

Ecotourism camps within national parks started to appear in the Kimberley region as early as 1992 when East Kimberley Tours developed its first camp in the Bungle Bungles (Purnululu National Park).  Other camps and accommodation have since been built within national parks such as the King Leopold Ranges Conservation Park at Mt Hart, the Karijini Eco Retreat within Karijini National Park and the Sal Salis on Ningaloo Reef within the Cape Range National Park. 

ECOTOURISM:

Ecotourism is considered a subset of nature-based tourism. In 1997, a Nature-Based Tourism Advisory Committee was appointed to make recommendations to Tourism Western Australia’s Board on how to support nature-based tourism product development, research, education and marketing.  A ‘pathway’ for nature-based tourism was developed which provided the broad strategic direction for government and tourism industry planners.

To further understand ecotourism, a tourism industry taskforce consisting of public and private sector members undertook a review of tented safari camps and wilderness lodges in November 1999.  The review included site visits to Zimbabwe, Tanzania, Kenya, Belize and the US Virgin Islands.  The taskforce’s principal interest was the transferability of this knowledge to Australian businesses and in particular projects proposals within Western Australia.

These development principles were used by tourism operators throughout Australia. Some examples in the Kimberley Region include the development of Emma Gorge, which is part of the famous El Questro Station, and the development of the Kimberley Aerial Highway, formally known as the Ibis Aerial Highway. 

NATUREBANK:

More recently, Tourism Western Australia and the Department of Environment and Conservation have developed the Naturebank program. Naturebank aims to prepare sites for development of quality, environmentally sensitive tourist accommodation experiences in the State’s national parks. It also aims to position Western Australia among the world’s premier ecotourism destinations.

Naturebank identifies potential sites in selected national parks and undertakes the pre-release development clearances required to present them to market. Sites are subjected to a rigorous clearance process and will not be progressed unless they meet strict environmental and cultural requirements. Pre-release development clearances vary from site to site and may include flora and fauna surveys, heritage assessments and groundwater studies. It also addresses park management plan requirements, site amenities, site access, infrastructure and consultation with the host community and traditional owners.

Naturebank is not about cutting corners in the planning process. It is about Government ensuring that a site has appropriate environmental and cultural clearances, that necessary infrastructure is available (e.g. water, access) and it is sustainable. This work removes much of the upfront uncertainty and provides guidance for the developer.

Naturebank opportunities are released by an open competitive process. Expressions of interest are invited from developers with a business model that embraces responsible tourism practices and demonstrates a commitment to the environment and Aboriginal culture. After evaluation of the expressions of interest, proponents are shortlisted and then invited to submit a full development proposal.  The successful proponent will be offered a performance-based lease with social and environmental performance conditions that reflect the values of the area. The lease period offered to a successful proponent will be determined after giving consideration to the level of capital investment to be made and the operating risk.

Naturebank is intended to be an ongoing program with new destinations and sites progressively added to the list of potential projects.  The first full accommodation project to be created under the program is the development of a new low impact, sustainable, nature-based tourism operation at Kurrajong within the Purnululu National Park (Bungle Bungles) which has recently become fully operational.

This new safari camp at the Kurrajong will provide a comfortable base for up to 20 visitors to stay several days to enjoy the park and its scenery, Please see some photos on their facebook page. https://www.facebook.com/KimberleyWildExpeditions

The recent development is Mt Hart Wilderness Lodge, situated north of the Gibb River Road in the West Kimberley. Due to the unforgiving nature of the King Leopold Range Mt Hart was deemed unsuitable for stocking cattle in the 1980’s and DEC (formerly the Department of Conservation and Land Management - CALM) purchased the former pastoral lease in 1990 for the purposes of conservation. The King Leopold Ranges Conservation Park is an “A class” reserve created on 10 July 2000.

Since 1995 the former homestead has been commercially operated under contract as the Mt Hart Wilderness Lodge. Over this time the accommodation capacity has increased gradually from seven (7) to twenty-seven (27) overnight guests.  DEC has invested in infrastructure including the upgrade of the airstrip to Royal Flying Doctor standards and installed a hybrid power system. There is also a camping facility near the homestead area that is caravan accessible. 

The Mt Hart Homestead was released via and an expressions of interest in June 2011 and on 2nd. November the Minister for the Environment announced that Kimberley Wilderness Adventures had been selected to develop and operate Mt Hart Wilderness Lodge.

 Kimberley Wilderness Adventures have said they plan to spend up to $2 million in the short/medium term and a further $1.5 million in the longer term on the resort. This expenditure has brought the product up to higher standard and the Lodge is once again open for business.

Tourism Western Australia is now working to develop new opportunities under the Naturebank banner such as a unique ecotourism development opportunity existing within Shark Bay.  The Shark Bay region lies along the central western coastal corridor of Western Australia.  The region was listed as a World Heritage Area in 1991 in recognition of its natural beauty, biological diversity, ecology and evidence of Earth’s evolution.

Soon to be released through the Naturebank program, this will be an exceptional opportunity to create a responsible and sustainable eco-friendly tourist accommodation facility on a coastal site adjacent to the pristine waters of Shark Bay Marine Park.  Shark Bay offers an extraordinary range of land, sea and air experiences for visitors, ranging from: flights over spectacular coastal scenery, dolphin interaction at Monkey Mia and sailing over vast sea grass beds to view dugong, manta rays and dolphins along with opportunities to learn about indigenous culture and early settlement history. 
 

Interested parties are required to have the necessary expertise to develop ecotourism accommodation and the operational knowledge and experience to successfully run a commercially viable operation.  They will also be expected to be fully aware of the environmentally sensitive nature of the area and aim to provide their guest’s with an understanding and appreciation of natural and cultural diversity which are largely unique to this special part of Australia. http://www.tourism.wa.gov.au/Infrastructure_and_Investment/Current_Tourism_Development_Opportunities/Naturebank_Program/Pages/François_Péron_National_Park.aspx

For further information about anything within this article; please contact Ross MacCulloch at Tourism Western Australia by e-mailing This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.