Contact Person: Jim Macbeth
The Great Southern Development Commission Board and the regional Shire Councils are aware of the problems facing this rural region of Australia, including lack of economic diversity, and declining and ageing populations. This project aimed to further developing the tourism potential of the central Great Southern region in WA.
The geographical centre of the project is about 3 hours drive southeast of Perth and about 2 hours north of Albany. This is the Central Great Southern and the largest town in the study area is Katanning. The project was under the direction of Jim Macbeth, Murdoch University Tourism Programme, and was jointly funded by Murdoch, the Sustainable Tourism Cooperative Research Centre, the Great Southern Development Commission and the seven Shires.
The project was initially being undertaken by the late Linley Chandler, a postgraduate research student at Murdoch University. The project was officially launched at a meeting in Broomehill on Friday June 8, 2001. Substantial progress had by this time already been made in consultation with members of the communities of the participating Shires (see Appendix 2). In addition, liaison with other districts is an ongoing process in the project. The project was completed and the final report written by Jim Macbeth and Michael Hughes.
There is a strong interest by Shire Councils and individuals in the central Great Southern region to fully develop the tourism potential of the area. The project aims to facilitate development and implementation strategies for a Heritage Trail that will link the Great Southern Shires of Woodanilling, Katanning, Kent, Broomehill, Gnowangerup, Tambellup and Cranbrook. This project was initiated in the Central Great Southern and is utilising an emic approach to research. The research and development objectives of this project were:
to assemble and utilise previous research applicable to this region for use in regional tourism planning.
to select and/or develop and trial an action research framework for facilitating a strategic long-term development plan for this remote and sparsely populated rural region.
to actively facilitate community ownership of the development plan and of the initiatives that arise directly during the course of the project.
to stimulate development of appropriate tourism products in a district rich in cultural, natural, industrial and colonial history.
Download the report as a PDF:
Report — Heritage Drive Trails of the Central Great Southern of Western Australia
Appendix 1 — Tables of Potential Heritage Tourism Sites
Appendix 2 — Report on Historical Background (Linley Chandler and Lenore Layman)
For more information about the Murdoch Tourism Program, go to tourism.murdoch.edu.au.
For specific inquiries, contact Dr Jim Macbeth, Chair, Tourism Programme, School of Social Sciences and Humanties, (08) 9360 2185.
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