Cape Leeuwin and Naturaliste Lighthouses set to receive overhaul

At a funding announcement made at the Augusta precinct on Friday, Regional Development Minister Terry Redman said the $1.5 million grant would dramatically improve current facilities.

"The lighthouses are icons of the South-West that currently attract 150,000 visitors per year," he said.

"Not only are they a valuable part of our State's maritime heritage, they also bookend the Cape to Cape walking track and act as the starting point for events like the Augusta Adventure Fest and Cape to Cape MTB."

The Margaret River Busselton Tourism Association, which has vesting over the sites for management of the tourism attraction operations, welcomed staff, VIPs and community members for the announcement.

Outgoing South West Development Commission chief executive Don Punch joined Member for the South West Barry House MLC and Shire president Ian Earl at the launch of the project, which will see the construction of multi-purpose classrooms and asbestos removal as well a new cafe, audio tours, timber-based adventure playground and ocean viewing platform at the Cape Naturaliste precinct.

MRTBA deputy chair Clive Johnson said the association took its responsibility as custodians of the region’s natural assets seriously.

“We are incredibly grateful and excited to receive this grant funding,” Mr Johnson said in addressing the crowd.

“This will allow us to vastly improve visitor experience at [the lighthouses]; these two sentinels mark the northern and southern tips of the Margaret River region, and also mark the beginning of the Cape to Cape track.

“The opportunities this investment will provide in furthering tourism in our region are huge and will help the MRTBA achieve the goal of growing visitor numbers by forty percent from 2013 to 2020.

Mr Johnson said the position of the two lighthouses at either end of the Capes encouraged visitor dispersal throughout the region.

It is understood that the projects will provide nine additional jobs at the lighthouses and 51 jobs throughout the region with the increase in visitation. 

“You may have heard that tourism is one of the highest multipliers of any industry, including mining and retail; for every dollar that is spent by visitors, it creates an additional 91 cents of spending in our local economy,” Mr Johnson said.

Minister Redman noted the additional large-scale projects slated for the region and said the latest tourism spend would compliment those plans.

"On top of the investments in regional events, tourism marketing and infrastructure like the Busselton-Margaret River Regional Airport; Margaret River Perimeter Road; and Augusta Boat Harbour, the lighthouse project is another example of how Royalties for Regions is supporting tourism in the South-West," the Minister said.

MRBTA chief Pip Close also took the opportunity to thank Mr Punch on his last day at the helm of the SWDC.

Work will commence immediately with project completion expected in time for the whale watching season at Augusta in June 2017.