New interpretation centre planned for visitors to Shark Bay area

3/5/99
Visitors to the Shark Bay area on Western Australia's Gascoyne Coast will gain a greater understanding and appreciation of the World Heritage-listed region through a new interpretation centre in Denham.
The Shark Bay World Heritage Property Ministerial Council in Denham today agreed to fund a $50,000 concept plan for the centre.
The plan would be prepared in consultation with the local community and coordinated by the Gascoyne Development Commission.
The Ministerial Council comprises Federal Environment Minister Senator Robert Hill, Federal Attorney-General Daryl Williams, WA Environment Minister Cheryl Edwardes and WA Tourism Minister Norman Moore.
The Ministers said the council also endorsed a recommendation by the Shark Bay Shire that the new centre be built on a site between Hughes Street and Knight Terrace in Denham.
"The Shark Bay World Heritage Area attracts more than 100,000 visitors a year," the Ministers said.
"While most of the visitors are drawn by the dolphin attraction at Monkey Mia, the Shark Bay region contains an amazing array of flora, fauna and landforms which have made it worthy of World Heritage listing.
"The interpretation and information centre will enable visitors to learn more about the area and to appreciate its distinctive values such as stromatolites, the interactions of hypersaline water bodies and the world's most extensive beds of seagrass that provide habitat for species such as dugong and marine turtles," Environment Minister Cheryl Edwardes said.
"Initiatives funded by the State and Commonwealth Governments already are having an impact in terms of restoring the area's natural heritage.
"These include Project Eden, a Department of Conservation and Land Management program, that is enabling the reintroduction of native fauna which had become locally extinct because of predation by introduced predators such as the European fox.
"This in turn will create new experiences for visitors who will be more likely to prolong their stay with associated benefits for local businesses, particularly those involved in the tourism industry."
The Ministers said they appreciated the support of the Shark Bay World Heritage Property Community Consultative Committee and the Scientific Advisory Committee for the proposed World Heritage Centre.
They said both communities fulfilled a very important role in ensuring that the Ministerial Council was aware of the feelings of the local community in regard to management of the World Heritage area.
All the Ministers recognised that the successful management of the area could only occur with community support and understanding.
The Ministers said the proposed location would mean that the centre was readily accessible by visitors and would complement other local businesses in Denham that relied on the tourism industry.
Media contact: Steve Manchee (08) 9213 6400 or 0417 921 688