Mt Barker Hill soon to be tourist attraction with concept plans endorsed by council

The Mt Barker Hill’s future as a trail tourist attraction is coming into view after the Shire of Plantagenet council voted to endorse a landscape concept plan and start allocating funding. The Mt Barker Hill Advisory Committee was formed in December and the group explored three key aspects of the proposed development — the lighting of the communication tower; the design of a downhill mountain bike trail network; and a landscape concept plan including a boardwalk, walking trail, carpark upgrades and ablutions. At its July meeting, councillors unanimously voted to allocate sufficient funds in the Budget to designing and testing the lighting of the tower. The Great Southern Centre for Outdoor Recreation Excellence’s Tower Hill Mountain Bike Trail Network Concept Plans were also received, and the Mt Barker Hill Landscape Concept Plan endorsed. Shire of Mt Plantagenet strategic development manager Andrus Budrikis said the bike trail network concept plan was developed in partnership with GSCORE. “This trail network comprises 10 separate trails of differing difficulty that, combined, are over 10km in length,” he said. “Tower Hill has significant elevation that lends itself to the construction of gravity mountain bike trails. “Economic modelling by the Shire ... indicates that the development of Tower Hill to attract a variety of tourists will be worth over $1.5 million per ann-um to the local and regional economy.” Emerge Associates was commissioned by the Shire to develop the landscape concept plan for the top of the hill, which features an astronomy platform. Mr Budrikis said the Shire was progressing the first stage of the Tower Hill landscape project, including the raised boardwalk, with construction set to start early next year. “Council has budgeted $580,000 plus GST for the first stage of the Mt Barker Hill landscape concept plan,” he said. “No funds have been allocated to the development of the mountain bike trail network at this stage but the Shire has signed an agreement with GSCORE to pursue development of this trail project and assist the Shire in obtaining funds to build the trails. “The trail network is estimated to cost $450,000 with an additional $160,000 required to build a shuttle road from the base of the trails to the trail head.”