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Wellington National Park expanded as Collie mountain bike trails network grows

Headshot of Sarah Steger
Sarah StegerThe West Australian
Mark McGowan.
Camera IconMark McGowan. Credit: Danella Bevis/The West Australian

Wellington National Park has been expanded by 7000ha, delivering a McGowan Government election commitment and marking a key milestone under the Plan for Our Parks initiative.

About 10km west of Collie and more than 200km south of Perth, Wellington National Park now stretches over 25,000ha.

A mecca for bush walkers and mountain bike riders, the park attracts upward of 273,000 visitors a year.

Premier Mark McGowan said his Government had been working hard over the past four years to leverage Collie’s “incredible natural environment into new tourism and jobs opportunities for the region”.

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“Collie’s transformation has been remarkable in this short time. Tourism is booming off the back of a number of local projects and there are a range of additional prospects in emerging industries,” he said.

In September 2,699 people checked in at the Collie Visitor Centre compared to 1,126 people (a 140 per cent increase) over the same period two years earlier.

Member for Collie-Preston, Jodie Hanns, said Collie had become a “genuine must-see location” for people seeking nature-based recreation and adventure experiences in recent years.

“This has translated into huge numbers of people passing through town and spending money at local businesses, supporting local jobs,” she said. “This has spurred investment in new tourism and hospitality businesses, and the Wellington Park expansion and trails network will only fuel this exciting phase.”

Also part of Collie’s transformation into a recreation and adventure tourist hub is the completion of the first 15km of the region’s new mountain bike trails network.

The initiative, when complete, will ultimately see 120km of new mountain bike trails in Wellington National Park, Westralia Conservation Park, Arklow forest block and Collie.

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