CONTEXT

The shire of esperance OVERVIEW

The Shire of Esperance is a vibrant coastal community in the Great Southern region of Western Australia with a population of over 14,200.2 The Shire spans over 42,000 square kilometres, with over 430 kilometres of coastline and over 5,900 square kilometres of National Parks and Reserves. There are 6 national parks, and 63 Nature Reserves.3

The town of Esperance is 700 kilometres east-southeast of Perth, the States capital, and almost 200km from its closest population centres of Ravensthorpe, to the west, and Norseman, to the north. There are several small townsites scattered throughout the Shire but most of the population is concentrated around the Esperance townsite (10,421). The Shire is divided into 32 localities, 8 of which are considered to be the Esperance townsite:

▪ Bandy Creek ▪ Castletown ▪ Chadwick ▪ Nulsen ▪ Pink Lake ▪ Sinclair ▪ West Beach, and ▪ Windabout

Esperance Airport is located 22 kilometres north of the townsite on the Coolgardie-Esperance Highway. The airport operates flights daily between Esperance and Perth. Trans Perth operates buses to Esperance from Perth via Wagin and Ravensthorpe, and offers connecting services from Kalgoorlie and Albany.

The Shire has a mixed economy with the main employing industries being agriculture, forestry and fishing. In 2018 there were 1,750 businesses operating in the Shire, and an employment rate of 95.5%.2

There are 35 sports clubs outlined in the Shire of Esperance Sports Facilities and Services Plan, with recognised growing participation in many, in line with increased participation in sports across Australian.

DEMOGRAPHIC ANALYSIS

The current residential population of the Shire of Esperance is just over 14,200 . There is an equal representation of males and females, and the median age of Shire residents is 40 years old. The most populous age group is 50-54 years, representing 7.6% of the population, followed by 5-9, 10-14, 15-19, and 45-49 year old’s, each representing 7.1% of the Shire of Esperance Population. It is noted that there is a large percentage of youth, with 32.7% of the Shires population under 24 in 2016.2

Table 2. Shire of Esperance age breakdown

Age Group

Percentage of Population 0-4 6.4

5-9 7.1

10-14 7.1

15-19 7.1

20-24 5.0

25-29 5.8

30-34 5.7

35-39 5.6

40-44 6.7 Age Group

Percentage of Population 45-49 7.1

50-54 7.6

55-59 6.8

60-64 5.7

65-69 5.3

70-74 4.2

75-79 3.1

80-84 1.8

85+ 1.8

Tourism & Visitors

Esperance was nominated for the 2019 GWN7 Top Tourism Town Award and claimed the Bronze Award behind Exmouth and south coast neighbours Albany. The Shire sees considerable seasonal fluctuations of visitor numbers, with annual visitor numbers calculated at 223,400 between 2016-2018. Almost 16 times the population of the Shire. The average length of stay is 4 days and 63% of domestic visitors, and 90% of international visitors are holiday makers. The most popular age group to visit the Shire of Esperance is 20-34 years old, 32% of domestic visitors and a huge 50% of international visitors fall into this age group.5

Research between 2017-2019 discovered 7% of Australians had a cycle holiday experience in WA. In addition, 26% of Western Australians undertook a daytrip in WA involving cycling.6 Cycling facilities and dedicated mountain bike trails in the Shire of Esperance will further enhance Western Australia’s cycle tourism offerings.

SCHOOLS

There are currently five primary schools (including two non-government), two secondary schools (including one non-government), and one tertiary campus South Regional TAFE, located in the town of Esperance. Two additional primary school sites have been identified, with a site reserved in West Beach and a site to be reserved in the Flinders Estate in Bandy Creek. There are also primary schools located within Cascade, Salmon Gums, Scaddan, Gibson and Cundinup, which are towns within the Shire.

COMMUNITY & Leisure CENTRES

There are a range of community facilities available within the Shire of Esperance including:

▪ Bay of Isle Aquatic Centre ▪ Esperance Civic Centre ▪ Esperance Museum ▪ Esperance Scout Hall ▪ Indoor Sports Stadium ▪ Kindergartens and pre-schools ▪ Public Library

PUBLIC OPEN SPACES

There is 67.4ha of Public Open Space in the Shire of Esperance, comprising of 38 individually identified areas, including 36 developed playgrounds. These areas have been classified as Regional, District and Neighbourhood facilities using the current Western Australian standards and Department of Local Government, Sport and Cultural Industries (Sport and Recreation) framework of identification.7

CURRENT mountain biking FACILITIES

There are very little designated recreational cycling facilities within the Esperance townsite. There is a skate park at The Esplanade, which is also utilised by bike riders and scooters. A compact learn to ride track is located in Adventureland Park, 400 metres south of the skate park facility. Additionally, there is an unused 250 metre velodrome circuit located at Skroly Park, 3 kilometres south west of the townsite.

There is a designated cross-country mountain bike facility, called The Piggery, located 13 kilometres north of town, off of Myrup Road. The Piggery is located on a section of crown reserve 35037, with a management order with the Shire of Esperance for the purpose of recreation. The shire has a license agreement with Esperance Mountain Bike Association (EMBA) to manage and maintain the cross-country mountain bike facility. The facility has been designed, built and maintained by volunteers. The site while degraded, contains intact native bushland and hosts 14.5 kilometres of winding cross country trails, catering for beginners and intermediate riders. There are an array of constructed trail features and a mixture of compacted gravel and sandy trail surfaces. The site is relatively flat and lacks sufficient elevation which is a major constraint in meeting the needs of riders seeking a more challenging mountain biking experience.

There are notable number of unsanctioned mountain biking trails throughout the Shire on crown and private land. The unsanctioned trails provide an experience which is currently not catered for within the sanctioned trail network at The Piggery and existing recreational cycling facilities, notably often containing what would be considered intermediate to advanced trail features.

COMMUNITY REQUESTS

The Shire received a formal letter of request for mountain bike trails within the Dempster Head Reserve in 2015.8 Following the receipt of this letter a report was developed which investigated the request and outlined that the Shire could not commit to developing a Shire managed asset in this area at that time.

Subsequently the Shire invested in the development of the Dempster Head Management Plan 2018 . The Plan identifies that all forms of mountain biking were prohibited by the Shire of Esperance within Dempster Head, identified that the site did not meet the minimum criteria outlined in the Western Australian Mountain Biking Guidelines and for mountain biking to be deemed as a compatible land use there would be a requirement for significant Shire of Esperance investment and strategic planning to align with other recreation users and values of the site.

relevant document REVIEW

A number of documents were reviewed and referenced during this study, including:

▪ Shire of Esperance Asset Management Strategy 2015 ▪ Shire of Esperance Coastal Management Plan 2014 ▪ Shire of Esperance Community Waste Strategy 2018-2023 ▪ Shire of Esperance Corporate Business Plan 2019/2020-2022/2023 ▪ Shire of Esperance Dempster Head Management Plan 2018 ▪ Shire of Esperance Playgrounds & Public open Space Strategic Plan 2015-2025 ▪ Shire of Esperance Long Term Financial Plan 2019-2029 ▪ Shire of Esperance Strategic Community Plan 2017-2027 ▪ Shire of Esperance Ralph Bower Adventureland Park Implementation

Plan 2018 ▪ Esperance Coastal Hazard Adaptation Strategy, BMT JFA Consultants, 2016 ▪ Esperance Trails Masterplan 2007-2017, AWI environmental, October 2007 ▪ Esperance 2050 Cycling Strategy, Department of Transport ▪ Western Australian Mountain Bike Strategy 2015-2020 ▪ Western Australian Strategic Trails Blueprint 2017-2021

Summary

The Shire of Esperance has a large number of youth and families that would benefit from recreational cycle facilities. There are numerous sites that could support the sustainable development of facilities within the townsite. Development of such facilities would complement existing recreational nodes, such as the skate park on the Esplanade and the Learn to Ride track at Adventure Land park.

There is an appetite for mountain biking in the region, as identified in the public survey, and additionally supported by the development of unsanctioned trails within the Shire. The existence of unsanctioned mountain bike trails indicates there is demand for facilities, there is demand for varying experience and there is demand for skills development and progression opportunities.

Currently there is a large gap in provisions for more experienced riders, riders wanting to progress their skill levels and in-town safe recreational cycling opportunities for children and families.

Through review of the above documentation it can be concluded that there has been minimal inclusion of recreational cycling facilities and mountain bike trails in strategic planning to date. The Esperance Trails Masterplan 2007-2017 is aimed at connecting the community via dual use paths and does not address mountain biking specifically. The Esperance 2050 Cycling Strategy outlines “Tourist Trail” routes. These are practical suggestions and will be discussed further later in this document.

The Western Australian Strategic Trails Blueprint 2017-2021 and the Western Australian Mountain Bike Strategy 2015-2020 have a shared strategic direction for increased sustainable trail development across the state, improving trail facilities, interpretations and safety to increase the appeal of trail experiences. Mountain bike trail planning and design within the Shire of Esperance should follow the 8 Steps of Trail Develop outlined in Part A of the Trails Development Series, A Guide to the Trail Development Process.9 Additionally, mountain bike facilities should meet the specifications outlined with the Western Australian Mountain Bike Management Guidelines.