Cultural and Heritage Magic

Yesterday I gave a presentation to the Metro Trails Forum here in Perth and highlighted the history and current development of the Trail:

This is the year that the Trail will be marked and our Board Member Clive McIntyre is progressing this for the group.

Next year is the Bicentenary of Dom Rosendo Salvado the founder of New Norcia and our inspiration for starting the Trail in the first place. We are working with New Norcia, the Cities of Subiaco and Perth, the Whadjuk peoples and local Theatre and music groups to make sure that it is a very special occasion and the start of a deepening our understanding of our rich cultural heritage.

We are also hoping to create a series of Podcasts that will reflect each day of the journey: and this is being done with the help of Richard Offen of Heritage Perth.

Finally, we are looking for a Sponsor(s) so that we can offer a prize for a piece of Visual Arts to represent the ethos of the trail, so please check your bank balances and see if you've got any spare cash you can contribute ;)

I look forward to sharing some of the concrete reality that this coming year promises.

Pilgrims Progress

It's been a busy week and more of it to come. I met with Dianne and Bruce Pope who are very keen to offer "refuge" to walkers as they go through the Chittering Vally. Dianne and Bruce have a heritage property near Blue Plains road that would be an excellent spot to have morning tea or an early lunch as you walk on to Bindoon. It also made us think about the future placement of resting points for walkers along the route. This was a subject that we raised at a meeting in Bindoon later in the week with a group of interested parties from the Shire of Chittering, the Shire of Victoria Plains, the DSR and New Norcia.
The meeting was principally about looking at alternatives to the Great Northern Highway north of Bindoon: and it's a big challenge! However, although there is no obvious solution, we are planing meetings with local land-holders to let them know what we are planing and to find out from them what is possible: whatever happens, it will raise awareness of the Trail locally and give us an opportunity to share our experiences.
Several other practical issues were discussed and the level of enthusiasm and support continues to amaze and encourage me!
Maggie and I then traveled onto New Norcia where we had a bite to eat at the Hotel and then had a delightful chat with Camel Ross, the CEO of New Norcia. I now have no doubt that we need to inform all walkers that if they intend to stay in New Norcia, then they will have to plan their trips well in advance: New Norcia is not equipped for casual "drop ins": there is no alternative accommodation: and public transport out the village is very infrequent! In other word, like all good trail walking, everything needs to be planned, down to the last detail, and that includes accommodation and transport, as well as good boots of course!

Pilgrims Progress III

Last week a meeting was held at the Department of Sport and Recreation to review the impact of the Pilgrims Trail on the Monastery town of New Norcia.
New Norcia is unique in Australia, but like the rest of Australia, it continues to evolve and survive in its sometimes difficult, rural setting. It is a fragile Community with a deeply spiritual focus which makes it even more precious in these economically driven times.
The Pilgrims Trail, as indicated in its Mission Statement , aims to “Establish a permanent Trail between Subiaco and New Norcia which is respectful of the local environment and cultures....” and following our discussions, it was decided that until a permanent trail was fully functioning –which realistically was thought to be about 3 years away- walkers should only consider following the Trail in groups; and that these groups should liaise well in advance with the Community at New Norcia, so that no unnecessary strain was placed on their already constrained resources.
However, should walkers wish to follow the lower part of the trail over one, two or three days then they would see a part of WA which is quite beautiful and just on the doorstep of the City: the glorious Swan river: Bells rapids through to Walyunga National Park, and walking the Chittering Valley is a very different experience to driving through it!!
The Parish of St Joseph's in Subiaco has already penciled in two dates for their Camino Salvado in September 2010, and we continue to work on moving the trail away from the Great Northern Highway and make the experience even more enjoyable for them. In the near future we hope to apply for funding to take this project to the next level: we need your support, encouragement and where possible your active involvement so please use the comments section to let us know what you can do to help create a little piece of history for all West Australians.