Perth developer proposes $15m tourism precinct along WA's Cape to Cape track
The development would include 10 chalets, a holiday house and a wedding venue. (Supplied: Clarity Communications)
In short:
Plans to build upmarket accommodation along the Cape to Cape track are being challenged despite support from tourism bodies and traditional owners.
Dozens of locals and several conservation groups have penned public submissions opposing the $15 million proposal.
What's next?
The WA Planning Commission is reviewing the proposal alongside the public submissions.
A tourism operator in Western Australia's South West has joined a campaign against plans to build a luxury eco-retreat along the iconic Cape to Cape walking track.
The $15 million development in Wilyabrup, 255 kilometres south of Perth, would include 10 chalets, a holiday house and a wedding venue, catering to tens of thousands of hikers visiting the trail each year.
Cape to Cape Explorer Tours manager Gene Hardy said the development could undermine the "wild and untouched" character that made the Cape to Cape one of WA's most popular eco-tourism experiences.
The track is a 123km stretch along the coastline between the Cape Naturaliste and Cape Leeuwin lighthouses.
Sugarloaf Rock near Cape Naturaliste along the Cape to Cape track. (ABC Open contributor Matt Deakin)
"Tourism in Australia and Western Australia's whole appeal is that it's wild, it's unique, it's open and it's untouched," Mr Hardy said.
"I'm just into doing everything I can to keep it looking as wild and as special as we can.
"It really boils back down to the wrong thing in the wrong place."
Mr Hardy is among dozens of locals and several conservation groups opposing the project in public submissions to the WA Department of Planning, Lands and Heritage.
Gene Hardy is among the locals who oppose the project. (Supplied)
'Outrageous for the area'
At the forefront of the local resistance is a residents' group called Save Moses Rock, which is concerned about the ecological damage and bushfire risk of the proposal.
Group member Max Mueller lives a few kilometres from the site and is also a volunteer with the Wilyabrup Bushfire Brigade.
"I think the biggest thing is the scope and the scale are quite outrageous for the area," he said.
"We'd like to see it get knocked back in its current form."
Mr Mueller said the development's single access road was insufficient to manage the evacuation of more than 100 guests in case of an emergency.
The proposal stated the bushfire risks were adequately mitigated in an "extensive" bushfire management plan, which included an on-site fire refuge within its events venue.
The view from Conto Cliff along the Cape to Cape track. (Flickr: Kevin Yank, CC BY-NC 2.0)
Mixed response from traditional owners
The project espouses eco-consciousness by careful management of vegetation clearance and construction of self-sufficient water and electricity supply, and is the brainchild of Perth developer Troy Hall.
"We firmly believe that our project emphasises minimal visual impact, native species reintroduction and the maintenance of the site's natural character, demonstrating a range of ecological considerations," Mr Hall said in a statement.
His proposal has the backing of the Undalup Association, a group promoting Aboriginal tourism and culture in the region.
The project is the brainchild of Perth developer Troy Hall. (Supplied: Clarity Communications)
Undalup Association chair Zac Webb said the proposal had set a positive precedent for future developers in the South West.
"This is the kind of standard that you'd want to set," Mr Webb said.
The Undalup Association had been engaged with since the early stages of the proposal, he added.
"I think that's really what it's all about, is that really working together and those genuine partnerships or collaborations, or what I like to say is just like friendships really," Mr Webb said.
Zac Webb has been involved since the early stages of the proposal. (Supplied)
The Moses Rock proposal has been opposed by the Karri Karrak Aboriginal Corporation, which is the representative body for the Wardandi, Piblemen, and Kaneang people.
In a statement, Karri Karrak said the proposal compromised the rights of traditional custodians and exposed the country to "potentially irreversible" cultural and environmental harm.
"At no stage has Karri Karrak been approached or consulted regarding this proposal," Karri Karrak wrote in its public submission on the plans.
The proposal was first submitted in 2021 through the WA Planning Commission's State Development Assessment Unit, which was set up to streamline reviews and approvals of major projects during the COVID-19 pandemic.
There are two other large development applications also going through the approval process, at Gnarabup and Smith's Beach.
A Department of Planning, Lands and Heritage spokesperson said the Planning Commission would review the Moses Rock proposal alongside public submissions.