Road closure to open door for Mt Barker to Porongurup trail

A multi-use trail linking Mt Barker and Porongurup is a step closer to reality after a council decision to close a section of road reserve.

Shire of Plantagenet councillors voted in favour of providing notice that an unconstructed section of O’Neill Road would be closed to all motorised vehicles except emergency vehicles, infrastructure maintenance vehicles and e-bikes.

The closure of the road will allow cyclists, runners, walkers and horse riders to travel with increased safety along the 15km O’Neill Road to Wansbrough Walk linking Mt Barker to the south side of Porongurup National Park.

The trail is part of the Great Southern Regional Trails Masterplan aiming to establish the region as a world-class trails destination.

It has been allocated $35,000 as part of the Shire’s 2022-23 annual budget.

“It is pleasing to see this trail come to fruition after many years of planning,” Shire president Chris Pavlovich said.

“It will connect Mt Barker with one of the Shire’s most popular tourism destinations the Porongurup National Park, which attracts thousands of visitors to our region each year.”

Shire chief executive Cameron Woods said the final route connecting Mt Barker townsite to the O’Neill Road trailhead was still to be determined because of land tenure issues and the need to ensure safe passage across Albany Highway.

Parking will also be provided at the trailhead to accommodate users.

Members of the public can comment on the proposed road closure by 4pm October 12 via the shire’s website.

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