The Regional Economic Development (RED) Grants program has helped transform WA’s largest bird of prey sanctuary, tripling visitor capacity and significantly enhancing overall experience across the site.
A total of $100,000 was awarded in Round 4 of the RED Grants program towards a capacity and experience enhancement project at the Capes Raptor Centre, with the works recently completed.
The project has allowed the attraction in Margaret River to expand its offering, resulting in longer opening hours, new bird encounter experiences, and growing school and educational visits.
Improvements include increased seating and new spectator shelters in the flight arena, a larger sealed car park with additional capacity including bus bays, and upgraded and additional aviaries.
New interpretation across the bush trail and aviaries have further enriched visitor experience at the Capes Raptor Centre, which last year welcomed more than 20,000 people wanting to see Australian birds of prey up close.
New audio nodes, which have been made possible with a RED Grant, have been installed on the one-kilometre bushland walk to give visitors the chance to hear Wadandi voices and perspectives while immersed in the environment around them. Across three audio points, visitors hear about listening to Country, family and kinship, seasonal change and caring for Country.
The audio sits alongside the new signs, aviaries and flight displays as part of the wider visitor experience at Capes Raptor Centre. The centre offers visitors the chance to see raptors such as eagles and owls while exploring native bushland and learning about conservation and Country.
A big part of the appeal is the opportunity to view birds of prey at close range and learn about their behaviour, rehabilitation and role in the local environment. The birds in care, flight displays and in aviaries along the bush trail give visitors different opportunities to observe raptors and learn more about their ecology and conservation.
Welcoming a mix of local, intrastate, interstate and international visitors, the centre is popular with families – particularly during school holidays – but also attracts visitors with a particular interest in wildlife, birdlife, nature and conservation. School and educational groups also visit the centre.
The capacity and experience enhancement project was supported through the WA Government’s RED Grants program. The RED Grants program is investing more than $60 million over eleven years in locally-driven projects to stimulate economic growth and development across regional WA.
