Fixing up a bush town

I'm guessing it is Tooradin young man?

Potentially lovely spot that needs a serious workover.

Jim.

What do you do for the small towns Kim?

We have a few of those over here who could do with help.

There was an article only a week or two back in the West Australian about seabird a small lobster fishing village just up the coast from Perth who are worried that with the downturn in the industry, their town could go under.

I am relatively sure they are not the only ones in that position.

One then gets to wondering, - what could be done to help them?.

In the case of "seabird" for example - the Dutch East Indiaman Vergulde Draecke, sunk just 3 miles off shore from there in 1656, with a fascinating tale of 78 survivors who disappeared 100 opdd years before Cook settled at Botany bay in 1788 and claimed Australian in the name of the queen.

There's a lot of maritime history, displayed in the WA Martime Museum, the Gerladton Martime Museum as well - and a great big multimillion facility in Denham at Shark bay.

But poor old Seabird - which is right on the spot gets zippo zilch except for a small brick monument to the wreck and those lost, erected by volunteers and the WA VOC (Dutch East India Company) members.

Potentially the towns biggest tiurism drawcard has been stolen by every other town and govt dept up and down the west Aussie coast.

Where are the interpretive facilities for visitors to the town to read about the event right at the spot it happened?

Wheres the shipwreck survivors interpretive trail and cylceways walkways etc, named after the skipper and passengers crew etc?

These small towns have so much cultural and natural heritage to trade on and to attract tourists etc, yet they remain undeveloped - they get scant if any govt funding and support and rely entirely on one industry like the Lobster Industry to survive.

Tourism in these towns - doesn't seem to be able to get a toe hold, until they get at least ONE twin share ground floor 30 unit accommodation complex, that can cater for a bus load of high volume low value tourists (poms and pensioners on a tour bus).

Added to that they need a "must see" tourism draw card.

Geraldton has the Houtman Abrolhos Islands, Shark Bay has Monkey Mia Dolphins. Walpole the tree top walk erected by Govt (CALM / DEC).

So...

What about Lancelin?

Seabird?

There's no decent concrete launch ramp or marina been built in the last 30 years, despite all the rate payers and boat owners who have been paying boat registration fees for over 50 years now in those towns and a certain percentage of those fees put aside for just such purpose.

We see the new marinas in the Perth metro area - but what about the small seaside towns up the coast a bit?

Why a new $800 million marine for ocean reef in the northern suburbs?

Hillarys marina up the road - there's a good launch facility and marina wall etc at Ocean Reef already!

Whitfords marina

Another at Yanchep.

Why does the city areas get ALL the boating facilities grants?

Pork Barrelling?

Country towns are dieing because they are getting screwed over in the political process of govt budgeting!

Just curious what you do in these towns that turns things around - when our own govt seem intent on killing them off?.

I once read an official Labor Party internal document, saying they didn't want the cost of providing ANY govt services (police education medical etc) in towns under 5000 population - their policy is to keep withdrawing facilities in small towns less than 5000, until people go broke and leave & they become ghost towns.

Just how does one help these small towns of less than 5000?

Curious.

Cheers!