The once-sleepy fishing town of Jurien Bay will be transformed into a premier nature-based tourism destination over the next five years, with a major influx of tourism development and capital investment.
The once-sleepy fishing town of Jurien Bay will be transformed into a premier nature-based tourism destination over the next five years, with a major influx of tourism development and capital investment.
With a population of just more than 2,000 (and growing), Jurien Bay’s wealth of natural attractions such as the Jurien Bay Marine Park, Lesuer National Park and the nearby Pinnacles, attract more than 250,000 tourists to the region each year.
Most visitors to the Pinnacles are on day trips out of Perth, with only a small number of visitors staying on in Jurien or surrounding towns.
Tourist accommodation currently available in Jurien is largely comprised of motels and caravan parks, with most formal accommodation 3.5-star rated or below.
In the informal accommodation market there are about 100 holiday homes available in Jurien and between 50 to 80 in Cervantes, managed by the local real estate agents.
But all that is set to change with a number of hotel developments going ahead this year, as well as tourism facility upgrades and a proposed major redevelopment of the marina.
The largest tourist accommodation project about to get under way is Taggart Developments’ $80 million Jurien Bay Resort which, when completed, will be the largest resort in the area.
Constructed by Perth-based VDM Group Ltd, the resort will feature 106 strata-titled apartments and villas on a four-hectare property situated right on the bay.
On a smaller scale, construction of Line View Investments’ 20 self-contained strata-titled unit tourist accommodation is also scheduled to commence in the coming months, offering residents access to exclusive beachfront.
Currently under construction is Jurien Bay Seafront Estates, a $20 million 67-unit unit development by Perth-based Sage Corp Properties, which is due for completion next month.
The largest scale tourism accommodation development planned for the town is by Ardross Estates, whose Turquoise Coast development master plan incorporates almost 2,000 hectares of mixed residential and tourism development.
The Western Australian government-approved structure plan envisages in total about 1,400 tourist beds and 500 caravan sites over the entire area.
Cell one of the development, which has received approval from the local council and for which 500 residential lots have already been constructed, will include a 200-bed tourist accommodation facility, most likely a four-star hotel.
Ardross Estates general manager David Langtzke said the cell one tourism site had been put out to the market for development, and he was currently pursuing discussions with a potential developer.
Cell two, which will include of a slightly smaller 1.5ha tourist site, is currently before council awaiting approval.
Ardross Estates has also earmarked two large scale tourist precincts in its development.
One will be a four-star apartment-style resort surrounding a constructed salt-water lagoon which will operate as an inland beach.
The other will be beachfront resort and prominent tourism precinct on the 107ha Booka Valley Centre site, just south of the town centre.
Mr Langtzke said this area would be the developer’s major tourism focus, with Tourism WA currently facilitating the attraction of investors to the site.
“We believe that if international high quality is to be promoted, then that would be the location for it,” he told WA Business News.
Ray White Real Estate Jurien Bay principal Greg Johnson said the mix of tourism accommodation developments – from luxury resorts to apartment and bungalow-style units – would put the stamp on Jurien as a progressive tourist destination able to cater for the high-end tourist market.
“The development of the whole area, right from Cervantes to Jurien, is really being managed very well,” he said.
Shire of Dandaragan chief executive Clinton Strugnell said that, while Jurien’s tourism industry was still under-developed, the potential for tourism to become one of the town’s biggest industries was enormous.
“The real wildcard in terms of industry that’s going to support our growth is tourism and lifestyle, and people making the choice to come here for the lifestyle,” he said.
Mr Strugnell believes the redevelopment of the marina, which could potentially include mixed commercial, tourism and retail, as well as a 44-unit marina resort, will be a significant development for the town.
LandCorp is currently overseeing the marina redevelopment plans.
But with millions of dollars being spent on new developments and upgrades, the government’s decision to defer $45 million of funding for the long-awaited Indian Ocean Drive project in this year’s budget could hamper the viability of future projects.
With stage one of the 65 kilometre project reportedly still going ahead – taking the road 10km north from Lancelin to the residential development at Ocean Farms Estate – the status of the 2011 scheduled completion date is currently unknown.
The Wheatbelt Development Commission estimates the drive will generate approximately $700 million in employment, tourism and land development revenue for the coastal communities of Lancelin, Cervantes, Jurien Bay, Greenhead, Leeman and Dongara.
Upon completion, the drive will cut travel time to Jurien Bay from Perth’s northern suburbs to two hours and 10 minutes.
“Tourism WA identified the Indian Ocean Drive as the number one tourism priority in WA,” Mr Strugnell said.
“Given that the private sector has committed to so much investment on the basis of the government’s commitment, the government needs to demonstrate a clear commitment to completing this road.”
He said the drive was fundamental to tourism in the central coast and would contribute significantly to the region’s economy.
“It’s unfortunate that those who made the decision made it with not much knowledge of the impact.”
Ken Fitzgerald, the developer of the planned $2.3 million Jurien Bay Marina Resort, said his project had been postponed until a solid commitment was received from government that the drive would be completed.
He said there was a great deal of capital investment awaiting the completion of the drive, which was first proposed by the Court government more than 10 years ago.
“I can’t believe with the amount of money being spent on tourism and infrastructure in the region, they’ve left the road undone,” Mr Fitzgerald told WA Business News.
“It’s got everyone puzzled as to why it’s not just being done.”
Ray White’s Greg Johnson said the deferral was a huge disappointment not only for Jurien, but also for surrounding towns.
“At a time when the government is constantly bragging of huge surpluses because of good management, why don’t they just finish it?” he said.
