Long-time Perth broadacre developer Ardross Estates Pty Ltd plans to transform the crayfishing port of Jurien Bay into one of Western Australia’s premier nature-based tourism venues.
Long-time Perth broadacre developer Ardross Estates Pty Ltd plans to transform the crayfishing port of Jurien Bay into one of Western Australia’s premier nature-based tourism venues.
It has spent a decade planning the move, which aims to shift the state’s tourism focus northwards, away from the South West.
Those behind the Jurien proposal are Ardross’s founder, Harry Hoffman, and its general manager, David Lantzke.
Ardross’s long-term goal is to develop its 2,000-hectare coastal bushland estate south of Jurien to contain 9,000 low to medium density residential lots.
The planning of the project is the subject of a Memorandum of Understanding signed in 1995 between Ardross, the WA Planning Commission and Dandaragan Shire.
From the outset Ardross turned to the Environmental Protection Authority to help identify all the estate’s environmental issues pertaining to the urbanisation of a coastal area of this size.
Following this the company’s planners set about structure planning in those areas of land remaining, after allowing for 600ha to be set aside for nature conservation.
Development has already commenced, with more than 200 lots averaging 800 square metres on Jurien’s southern perimeter having sold.
All of the lots offer underground power, sewerage, scheme water and telephone services within close proximity to the beach and landscaped parks.
The project has been labelled The Turquoise Coast Development, since it is adjacent to the CALM-managed Jurien Bay Marine Park, which features distinctive turquoise-coloured water.
Jurien is situated mid-way between Perth and Geraldton, and has been earmarked by State Government planners as a sub-regional centre. Dandaragan Shire has relocated its administrative offices to the town from inland Dandaragan.
Because Jurien, like Busselton, is on the 200-kilometres ‘as-the-crow-flies’ arc from Perth, Ardross saw it as being accessible to potential metropolitan-based land purchasers as well as to short-term and longer-term tourists.
The only current drawback is that road access from Perth is via Brand Highway, which runs well inland, adding about 50km to the journey.
However, Ardross sees this as a surmountable problem since Indian Ocean Drive, which hugs the coastline from Geraldton to Jurien/Cervantes, and from metropolitan Perth to Lancelin, is to undergo construction work in 2007, according to Planning Minister Alannah MacTiernan, finally linking the missing Lancelin-to-Jurien/Cervantes segment.
This will cut the road journey from Perth by about 30 minutes.
Because the Jurien region is a long-established nature tourism area, with easy access to National Parks at Nambung (Pinnacles Desert), Lesueur, Drovers Cave and Badgingara, its prospects as a tourism venue are seen as assured.
Ardross proposes a mix of tourist accommodation in addition to owner-occupiers.
“The further development of the region’s natural assets, coupled with comfortable driving distances to other attractions such as the monastery at New Norcia, and the wildflowers in spring at Paynes Find, which means Jurien lends itself to being a tourism hub,” Ardross general manager David Lantzke said.
“With potential commercial development of Jurien’s marina and the increasing recognition of the spin-offs associated with the emergence of the region’s olive and other rural production capabilities, sustained growth is anticipated.”
Ardross’s State Government-approved structure plan envisages about 1,400 tourist beds and 500 caravan stites within the 2000ha estate along 10km of coastline adjacent to the marine park.
Also envisaged are up to four 8ha lagoons on land not within walking distance to the coast, to be designated as residential and commercial focal points. Approval of the first of these remains dependent upon a series of hydro-geological tests about to be launched.
The plan is for salt water to be drawn from underground, pumped into the lagoon and re-circulated back underground.
Because the Jurien region sits above a freshwater aquifer from two to eight metres below ground level, Ardross’s hydro-geologist, Rian Moore of Water Direct Ltd, is currently proving-up the proposal.
The emphasis across the project is based upon sustainable development.
One of the features is the provision of landscaped drainage swales down the middle of road reserves, which avert the need for unsightly sumps that are required by conventional systems, and helps prevent pollutants entering the Marine Park through run-off.
Ardross Estates has acquired land 15km east of the town that is suited to construction of an international airport.
In the longer term, such a facility is envisaged to replace the smaller landing strip within the townsite that will be unable to cope with the expected increase in tourists.
JURIEN SNAPSHOT
• Jurien is Dandaragan Shire’s major town.
• Jurien is 260km from Perth, halfway Geraldton.
• Jurien’s population now exceeds 3,000 people.
• The town has 1,750 dwellings.
• The Jurien boat harbour has 72 boat pens.
• Planned roadworks in 2007 will cut the journey from Perth by 30 minutes.
