Opening of Geikie Gorge National Park joint venture

18/7/93

Environment and Aboriginal Affairs Minister Kevin Minson wants Aboriginal people more closely involved with the tourist industry in the Kimberley and Pilbara.

He said today such involvement was vital to developing an integrated approach to tourism and conservation management.

"It will also help create a wider understanding and appreciation of Aboriginal heritage and culture, especially in these areas," Mr Minson said.

He was speaking at the opening of a new joint venture between the Department of Conservation and Land Management and the Darlngunaya Aboriginal Corporation in Geikie Gorge National Park, 21 km north-east of Fitzroy.

The venture is a tour boat operation run by the Darlngunaya Aboriginal Corporation whose people are from the Bunuba language group.

Initially it is being funded by CALM and the Australian Nature Conservation Agency but the venture is expected to operate as a commercial concern.

It will ultimately be managed by Darlngunaya under a tourism concession from CALM.

Mr Minson said the Geikie Gorge joint venture was in line with CALM's policy of encouraging Aboriginal involvement in tourism and conservation management.

He said the department had engaged prominent Kimberley tour operator Sam Lovell to advise Aboriginal communities on tourism enterprises in co-operation with CALM.

CALM had also run two five-day training courses at Cape Leveque north of Broome and Dwellingup in the South-West for Aboriginal people who wanted to explore the potential for their people in the nature-based tourism industry.

"People visiting areas such as the Kimberley and the Pilbara today do so for more reasons than they may have 10 years ago," Mr Minson said.

"For example, there is a growing awareness that the North of Western Australia is much more than spectacular landforms and river systems.

"It is an ancient landform that in itself tells the story of the physical and biological processes that make up Australia as we know it today.

"It also has been home to successive generations of Aboriginal people for about the last 40,000 years.

"Their culture and heritage are inextricably linked to the land and the river systems so their involvement will give a greater depth to the understanding of the conservation values of the various areas."

Media contact: Diana Callander 222 9595