Project money 'should now be spent in Collie'

The initiative, which was to be officially announced by Premier Mark McGowan last week, is designed to help establish Collie as WA's trail adventure town and to attract local, national, and international mountain bikers and bushwalkers to the area.

The funding is to be used to create 100kms of high-quality mountain bike trails through the Collie River Valley and Wellington National Park regions.

Mr McGowan said in a statement the project would make Collie a world-class destination for mountain bike riders and bushwalkers.

"We expect visitors will come from all over WA and beyond to use these facilities. It will create jobs for locals and deliver a boost to the local economy," he said.

"A key element of the plan is to ensure that the trails are focused around Collie, so that visitors stay in Collie and use the hospitality of the town.

"It is likely to generate significant opportunities in Collie for new hospitality and adventure-servicing businesses."

The $10 million is expected to be funded from the upcoming state budget.

The overall plan includes the development of 65km of world-class trails in the Wellington National Park; 35km of trails in the Westralia Conservation Park; a further 11km of trail in Arklow forest; the realignment of 20km of the Munda Biddi cycle trail through Collie; and the completion of the 72km, five-day Wiilman Bilya walk trail around Wellington Dam.

Mr McGowan said there would also be infrastructure investment to establish a trail centre in Collie's town centre and secondary trails hubs at Wellington Dam kiosk and Westralia, including a Collie River crossing.

Crank 'n Cycles owner and Collie Mountain Bike Club president Erik Mellegers said the Collie trails were already very popular with up to 100 riders per week.

"The trails we have on the ground now are very good quality and this $10 million will build on that," he said.

"Rather than have a lot of trails that don't link in well together we have worked on a master plan for the area with trails that all link in.

"So the trail network as a visitor when you get here you will arrive and it will be all clearly set out and make sense."

Shire of Collie president Sarah Stanley said the announcement was great to add to the additional work already being done on trails.

"It provides a broader economic face for Collie heading into the future and it also puts us on the map as a really attractive place for people to live," she said.

Collie-Preston MLA Mick Murray said trails tourism had sparked economic development and created jobs in many towns around the world.

"Trails tourists are always seeking unique and picturesque natural locations to mountain bike and hike, and this initiative puts Collie at the centre of WA's new, world-class series of trails," he said.

"This commitment will present many opportunities for new and existing small businesses in Collie - with tourists exploring the trails by day, and heading back into town at night to stay in hotels and enjoy the offerings of local restaurants and pubs."

The $10 million dollar project comes in addition to the $80 million already set aside to attract businesses to the region, including $20 million for the Collie Future Fund, $30 million for a biomass plant, and $30 million for a solar plant.

South West MLC Steve Thomas welcomed the latest trails investment and hoped the other money allocated to proposed Collie projects would be used elsewhere because there had been no interest in the biomass and solar projects.

"In my view, the government has confirmed that it is prepared to pull the pin on two dud election commitments, which is something I welcome," he said.

"I only hope that Alannah MacTiernan can keep the money in the regional revelopment budget for Collie and not lose it back to treasury."

Regional Development minister Alannah MacTiernan said in parliament on April 11 that the state government's election commitment was never to build the plants, but to encourage companies to invest.

"We did not go to the election saying that we would build a biomass plant or a solar energy plant. We did not say that. That was not our undertaking. Very clearly, our undertaking was to provide those funds... (if) they (private companies) had a credible project, an amount - effectively a capital subsidy - would be available to them," she said.

Mr Thomas said the money could be better used for a more appropriate project in the area.

He said he would like to see the money put towards toilet and barbecue facilities at the surrounding dams and lakes, and more invested in the Collie Motorplex.

But Ms MacTiernan said it was not that easy to encourage people to invest in Collie.

"We are exploring lots of opportunities, but part of our difficulty is that we cannot say that we will get any of those across the line," she said.

"As we move through the work that we are doing with a range of different companies, different opportunities may well arise, and we may have some flexibility around that."

Mr McGowan said last week at the trails announcement in Collie that they were looking at what other options were out there and would be making further announcements soon.

Mr Murray said Mr McGowan would ensure the $80 million set aside to attract investment in the region would be spent in Collie.

"As there has been little interest in such propositions, the premier has agreed to amalgamate the two $30 million commitments into an industry transition fund that will help Collie change its industrial base," he said.

"This money can now be used for projects (some which will be announced shortly) that will help Collie's economic base change into the future.

"These monies will go a long way towards helping Collie transition into the future."

What new industry would you like to see in Collie? Let us know at editor.colliemail.com.au.