Mid West conservation reserve to boost tourism opportunities

A gigantic piece of land 40km east of Perenjori has become the Mid West’s newest conservation park as part of a State Government plan to develop a fresh network of national parks and marine reserves.

Spanning more than 100,000 hectares, Thundelarra Conservation Park has been created to boost tourism opportunities in the region and protect important fauna species including the malleefowl.

The land includes a 25km stretch of land along Mongers Lake, which provides important nesting habitat for waterbirds.

Thundelarra builds on the 114,000 hectares of conservation reserve created in the region in January.

Blessed with a rich wildflower display in spring, the State Governments wants to sell the reserve as a nature-based tourist attraction and build on cultural tourism opportunities.

Sitting within Badimia country, Environment Minister Amber-Jade Sanderson said the park provided a unique opportunity for a variety of camping, four-wheel driving and other recreational experiences within a day’s travel from Perth.

The reserve contains multiple Aboriginal sites and significant cultural and pastoral heritage values.

“Thundelarra Conservation Park is important for the protection of our State’s biodiversity and cultural values and provides us with further ongoing opportunity to build relationships and undertake joint management with the Badimia traditional owners,” Ms Anderson said.

The State Government has promised to create five million hectares of new national parks, marine parks and conservation reserves by 2024.