Plans to upgrade the 21km Kwinana Loop Trail will begin to roll out, thanks to the support of a recent funding announcement as part of the State Budget.
Mayor Peter Feasey welcomed the announcement made on 28 April, and said the City would now prepare to receive the funding through the State Government’s Outdoor Adventure Tourism package to progress the first phase of the trail’s upgrades.
“The phased project, once completed, is estimated to cost more than $11 million to bring it up to a Class 2 Walk and Easy/Green Mountain Bike classification with a consistent hardened surface there possible,” Mayor Feasey said.
“To start, this initial phase of the project - using the announced $3.5 million - will focus on resurfacing to unite the trail in its entirety, and this process will include trail audits, signage upgrades, project management, activation and promotional activities,” he said.
Mayor Feasey said opportunities to tell the stories contained within the landscape would be maximised through an upgrade of interpretive signage along the trail and at key visitor sites such as Sloan’s Cottage, WW2 Radio Communications base and Wilki Karda / Chalk Hill, Wildflower Reserve and Lesa Nature Reserve.
“In October 2022, the Kwinana Council adopted the Kwinana Loop Trail Master Plan which will use a phased approach to upgrade the popular trail to a shared use path for walking and mountain bike riding,” Mayor Feasey said.
“This upgrade was a major project in the City’s Strategic Community Plan to deliver social and physical wellbeing opportunities, in addition to economic benefits for Kwinana with local tourism, day tripper and employment opportunities located at the hubs of Sloan’s Reserve and the Northern Trail Hub.
“The final transformation will see the Kwinana Loop Trail ultimately become a tourist destination,” he said.