Part 1 - Shire of Ashburton

Shire of Ashburton Tourism Strategy
Final Version January 2011
Executive Summary
Introduction
The Shire of Ashburton covers some 105,000sqkm and includes the major towns of Onslow, Tom Price,
Paraburdoo and Pannawonica (the last three towns originally created to service the needs of the local
mining industry, and Onslow now poised to expand significantly servicing the offshore energy industries).
Mining and energy remain the main drivers for economic activity within the Shire and will continue as the
major players for many years to come. Tourism, although a much smaller economic contributor, offers the
opportunity to diversify the economic base, generate local employment for people outside of mining, and
generally improve socio economic and lifestyles for local communities.
Although tourism in the Pilbara must compete directly with the larger mining and industry sectors for
services such as accommodation and transport, there are still many opportunities for tourism to take
advantage of and leverage off the substantial infrastructure delivered by its neighbouring “big brother”
industries. This report contains some 47 recommendations that the Shire of Ashburton can implement to
assist the region develop as a vibrant and successful tourism destination. The report estimates the direct
economic contribution of tourism to the Shire of Ashburton currently in the order of $43m each year and it
is believed there are a number of opportunities to significantly increase and enhance these benefits if a
focused approach to tourism destination development is adopted by the Shire.
Tourism Development Overview
The Shire of Ashburton region boasts significant natural tourism assets namely the Karijini and Millstream
Chichester National Parks and some impressive coastal assets with associated recreational fishing and
diving opportunities. Karijini National Park is considered an “iconic” visitor attraction on a national level
and is regularly used by State and Australian tourism promotion agencies in external marketing. Built
attractions and tourism specific infrastructure are limited in scope and number however specialised
tourism operators such as the Mackerel Islands and Karijini Eco Retreat are good examples of professional
tourism operators carving out niche markets and successfully servicing tourist needs. The remaining
commercial accommodation operators are either lower cost caravan and camping parks or mid range
hotel/motel style properties predominantly servicing local resource industry needs with tourism markets
filling leftover available occupancy.
Outside of these nature based attractions tourism activity is focused largely on the town centres of Tom
Price and Onslow and this is where the Shire directs the majority of its tourism funding in the form of
visitor servicing. Whilst Paraburdoo and Pannawonica also offer tourism development opportunity, their
major focus is on servicing local resource projects and tourism potential over the next 5 year timeframe for
these two towns are considered minimal. This report’s recommendations are therefore heavily weighted
towards the tourism destinations of Tom Price and Onslow and what activities the Shire can undertake to
enhance the broader region’s tourism development potential.
Executive Summary