Frenchman Bay Association seeks funding for next stage of proposed heritage trail

The Frenchman Bay Association is seeking funding to push ahead with the next stage of a proposed heritage trail.

Consultation, development and planning on a heritage trail has been undertaken over the past seven years but funding remains an issue for the project.

Under the proposal, the Frenchman Bay Heritage Trail would be about 1.5m wide and run along the top escarpment of Goode Beach.

The group was set to present its case at this week’s Trails and Recreation Forum at the Albany Entertainment Centre to promote the project and engage potential investors. Frenchman Bay is an historically rich area.

A Norwegian whaling station operated off the beach in the 1900s, while the area’s anglicised name is believed to have come from frequent French maritime visits.

But Menang Noongar people are thought to have used the area near Goode Beach for thousands of years, and the proposed trail will mainly focus on sharing this history.

Three on-site meetings have been held with Noongar elders helping to identify key features of the trail.

Trail signs would be used to promote Aboriginal history.

Now, to make the trail become a reality, the FBA is applying for a Lotterywest grant and looking for other funding sources.