UP FOR AN UPGRADE
Some $2m of taxpayer’s money is going to be ploughed into big upgrades on the South West’s Cape to Cape Track.
The popular 125km walk trail between Cape Leeuwin and Cape Naturaliste has cliff-top views and stretches of clean beach.
It overlooks Ngari Capes Marine Park and traverses the length of the Leeuwin-Naturaliste National Park — which is getting an additional $700,000 to improve visitor signage.
There are more than 4.5 million annual visits to Leeuwin-Naturaliste National Park, making it WA’s most visited national park.
Work on the Cape to Cape will include improvements to the track surface, erosion management, infrastructure upgrades and realignments to protect culturally sensitive sites. Work will begin later this year and should be completed by mid-2025.
Warren-Blackwood MLA Jane Kelsbie says: “It’s fantastic to see this investment in our much-loved Leeuwin-Naturaliste National Park. This funding will go a long way to ensure the environment is sustainable into the future.”
Stuart Hicks, chair of Margaret River Busselton Tourism Association, says: “This is a very significant milestone for the Cape to Cape Track, the Leeuwin-Naturaliste National Park, and the region as a whole. The funding will assist the track to fulfil its potential as a five-star walk trail, offering infrastructure, facilities and interpretation that are on par with other iconic walk trails around the world.
“This is a great opportunity to better engage walkers with the knowledge and experiences of the first-Nation Wadandi people, who have walked segments of the Track for tens of thousands of years. The routing and infrastructure of the Track will also pay better attention to protecting sacred sites.
“We are proud to be part of a community which has collectively advocated for the care of one of our most treasured assets.”
ABOUT THE TRACK
+ Inland there are sheltered woodlands and the Boranup Forest with its karri. The track near Cape Naturaliste has a shallow gradient and smooth, wide constructed surface. Further south, there are steep, rough stony paths and sandy beaches.
+ Walking the whole track would take five to seven days, but most tackle the Cape to Cape Track in segments. Overnight options range from camping to full accommodation with transport to drop-off and pick-off spots, so that trekkers can just do a day-walk. Margaret River is about mid-way along the track.
+ For Cape to Cape Track information and guide books, try the website of not-for-profit community partner the Friends of the Cape to Cape Track. It includes a number of operators licensed to provide tours. capetocapetrack.com.au
+ Between June and September, whales swim close to shore as they migrate between the Southern Ocean and breeding areas further north up the WA coast. They are mostly humpbacks, which breach more than any other species, but walkers might also see southern right whales.
+ The Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions, manages the Cape to Cape Track. exploreparks.dbca.wa.gov.au/trail/cape-cape-track