The Dwellingup Forest Heritage Centre

Australia

The small town of Dwellingup is located just east of Pinjarra in southwest Australia. It is approximately 100 kilometres, or just over a one hour drive, southeast of Perth. As Perth is the state capital of Western Australia, the area is a key destination for tourists. The road leading into the Dwellingup township runs along the top of an escarpment allowing for excellent views of the Indian Ocean and Peel Inlet.Dwellingup was first established as a mill town in the late 19th century. However, a bush fire in the early 1960's destroyed virtually all the original wooden structures except for the Dwellingup Hotel. Access to the town itself is by car or via the Hotham Valley Tourist Railway which runs a steam engine between Pinjarra and Dwellingup.Quite close to Dwellingup is Lane Poole Reserve, a forest recreation area which attracts more than 250,000 visitors per year. Dwellingup itself is nestled in a valley surrounded by a native jarrah hardwood forest. This prime location, near the Murray River, was a traditional Aboriginal camping place long before European settlement. In fact, the Aboriginal meaning of Dwellingup is “place nearby water”.Dwellingup’s Forest Heritage Centre is the outgrowth of a unique partnership between the Fine Wood Industry and the Western Australian Department of Conservation and Land Management (CALM), with sponsorship from numerous State, Commonwealth and private agencies. Community-based, the Centre is managed by an independent board operating as a not-for-profit venture.The mission of the Centre is to increase awareness and understanding of how Western Australia's forest heritage can be conserved, managed and used most effectively for sustainability and, ultimately, the benefit of the citizens living within this region. The Forest Heritage Centre presents an excellent example of the integration of forest industries and forest conservation in an applied educational model of forest use and management as it is currently developing in regional Australia. The focus is on long-term sustainable forest management in order to involve and benefit the communities in this area. Dwellingup is now reaching out to attract more tourists to the region. The goal is to bring increased revenue to the area, and provide more opportunities for local employment through direct and indirect participation in the tourism industry. Many community members are employed directly at the Centre, while many others work in related ventures. Increasing numbers are developing microenterprise ventures, such as local arts and crafts activities, as the tourism industry expands. Catering services for visitors are supplied by several small businesses in Dwellingup.

The Heritage Centre takes the shape of a giant jarrah bough.

History and Development

With the establishment of the rail link from Pinjarra in the late 19th century, Dwellingup became a regional centre and community base for forest activity. It has remained so. This location was at the edge of the first State Flora and Fauna reserve, which, at 160,000 acres, was the largest at that time anywhere in Australia.In 1928, the establishment of the first Forest Department office in the town of Dwellingup brought a new era of forest management, where timber cutting was soon based on regeneration and sustainable yields. In 1952, Dwellingup became the community site for the State’s Forestry Cadet School. The inclusion of this school within the Dwellingup community linked the local community directly to a philosophy and policy of forest management and conservation, a connection that has continued and blossomed to this day. Though the school closed in 1991, the Forest Heritage Centre maintains this facility for tertiary training programs and on-the-job training, still community-based. Overall, the legacy of this training is evident in the community values and attitudes.

A canopy walk allows visitors to experience the forest from tree-top level.

GoalsThe Forest Heritage Centre offers people from all walks of life opportunities to pursue activities that will enhance their skills and understanding of the forest and its natural and cultural heritage. This includes demonstration forests and public interest programs focusing on ecotourism and outdoor recreation; forest heritage through its collections and interactive exhibition; displays of timber production processes; crafting of fine wood products; and forest industry training programs. Programming consists of residential and day-long experiences, as well as field studies and research-based activities. Most programming is led by Dwellingup area residents.During the past four years, public participation, including local, regional and international visitors, has increased substantially. This has fostered a greater understanding and appreciation of sustainable, multiple use forest management, and the value and importance of conservation. It has also provided a venue for the display of fine wood crafts, which has encouraged practical skill development within the local community, an area of high unemployment that is often subject to structural adjustment by the timber industry. In essence, the community is using its primary, natural resource in a sustainable manner to attract, educate and benefit from increasing tourist visitation. The Forest Heritage Centre was developed through funding from the Federal Forest Ecotourism Program by means of the 1992 National Forest Policy Statement (NFPS). The NFPS vision encouraged the management of Australia's forests in an ecologically-sustainable manner for a range of uses, including tourism, recreation and production of non-wood products. Dwellingup was a natural choice to profile and promote this vision, attracting tourists in a manner that would involve and benefit the local community.

A jarrah writing desk with ebony inlay.

Design and Access

The Heritage Centre was built in the shape of a giant jarrah bough, and the resulting complex is beautifully integrated within the surrounding forest. Three, leaf-shaped, rammed-earth buildings extend from a welcoming, stem-like foyer, with the largest, central “leaf” housing the School of Wood — a facility for demonstration and training in the art of fine wood processing and quality furniture design and production. The smaller "leaf", extending to the west, provides a gallery for exhibition and sale of fine wood products, and the "leaf" to the east introduces the visitor to the ecology of the jarrah forest, offering interactive displays as a prelude to several interpretive walks. The wheelchair-accessible 400 metre Heritage Centre walk takes visitors through a cross section of the jarrah forest. Starting from the east leaf, the first phase of the walk simulates what is happening beneath the forest floor. A rammed-earth wall depicts the soil structure of the forest and the complex root system of the trees. A stroll through the forest at ground level allows the visitor to appreciate and understand the natural effects of water and fire. An alternative biodiversity loop offers seasonal information on the plants and animals of the forest system, and, finally, a short canopy walk takes visitors up to the tree tops, for an aerial perspective on the forest system. Along the canopy walk, visitors also get a bird's eye view of the craftspeople at work in the School of Wood, a clear enticement to visit this area once the walk is finished. ALCOA, a local subsidiary of an aluminum producing company, and CALM are planning to develop a unique, underground tunnel or walking trail in the jarrah forest thatwill interpret the 30 per cent of forest life that lives below the soil surface. This project will complement the existing Centre and will be directly integrated as a natural attraction, managed and maintained on site at the Forest Heritage Centre. The Western Australian Tourism Commission is particularly supportive of the tunnel walk project proposed by CALM and ALCOA. Projects of this type have direct and lasting community benefits, and they are vital for the future development of tourism in the region. The Commission further believes that this Centre, with its high level of community involvement coupled with corporate support, will continue to develop as one of the premier tourist destination for Western Australia. A five year business plan anticipates that the Forest Heritage Centre will cater to an estimated 75,000 visitors each year. In 1996, approximately 560,000 visitors were attracted to the region, injecting nearly AU$50 million into the economy, an increase of AU$4 million from the previous year.

The School of Wood nurtures skills in furniture design and production.

Direct Community Involvement

The Dwellingup community, through the Forest Heritage Centre, the Dwellingup History and Visitor Information Centre, and with the support of the Department of Conservation and Land Management, and the Dwellingup Business Association, hosts the annual Forest Heritage Festival. This week-long celebration is set within the jarrah forest, and includes demonstrations in papermaking, floral art, spinning, carving, story-telling and bushwalks. There are also fine wood exhibitions, mill tours and steam train adventures. Visitors to the area during the festival increases by more than 15,000 people, generating significant benefits to the local economy.The School of Wood, which operates from the Centre, provides opportunities for community-based wood artisans to develop their craft skills and for local tourism operators to expand their business opportunities. Increasingly, small businesses and microenterprises benefit from the activities of the Centre. These include opportunities created by the flow of new visitors and through the training offered.On-site accommodation is available at the former Forest Cadet School, renamed the Jarrah Forest Lodge, now catering for up to 32 people. Though relatively small, the intimacy complements the overall forest experience. The site is also available for national and international conferences and for use by a variety of other organizations, including educational institutions, government departments, community groups and tourists. The local community not only plays a direct role in managing and operating the Centre, but, in addition, many residents use the gallery facilities to launch, display and sell their work.Jeanette Morgan, a well known, local artisan, skilled in the art of silk printing has seen her sales increase dramatically with the Centre’s development. Jeanette often visits as the Centre, surrounding township and forest environment provides never ending inspiration for her creativity. She says, “the Centre is an exciting place which exhibits such a wonderful ambience for both the artists and of course visiting tourists.”Gunnar Hornum, a board member representing the local community, describes the Centre as “an integral part linking the local community with its forest environment and heritage while providing economic benefits to the region. The Centre provides exciting opportunities for the future well being of Dwellingup through the establishment of some excellent partnerships.”Dorothy Seeman, a student of the School of Wood, says “the Centre is unique in being able to offer people like me the opportunity to learn and develop the necessary skills essential for the crafting of fine wood products. Visiting tourists appreciate our work and hopefully become future customers.”

The Future

As the Centre's literature explains, forests are complex, dynamic ecosystems, nowadays managed to maintain what has been described as the most important heritage of all: the ecological processes that sustain the forest. The forest has been in continuous use for almost 150 years and has been subject to heavy commercial demand since the turn of the century. Regardless, the future has never looked brighter, for the forest or the community!The success of this project can be summed up in one word - relationships. The achievements to date of the Forest Heritage Centre, and the ongoing development of its very significant potential, are for the most part a result of the excellent relationships between the partners. At the heart of the activity is the community, and working with the community, and with each other, are the fine wood industry, the forest resources industry, the tourism industry, the mining industry, and the Department of Conservation and Land Management. Any project that sets out to increase awareness and understanding of how forests and forest heritage can be effectively conserved, managed and utilized will only achieve its full potential if all the partners who have an interest and who bring value-added benefits are actively involved. In effect, this project blends community involvement and tourism under the environmental umbrella.

Contact:

Ron KawalilakDirector,

Strategic Development and Corporate Affairs Department of Conservation and Land Management

Locked Bag 104

Bentley Delivery Centre,

Western Australia, Australia, 6983

61 8 9389-8644 (Phone)

61 8 9389-8296 (Fax)

ronk@calm.wa.gov.au

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Source:http://www.community-tourism.org