Town’s tales are turning heads

They call it the heart of the Great Southern — and if a recent rise in visitors forms a long-term trend, Katanning could become the heart of the Great Southern’s tourism awakening. A melting pot of cultures in a rich agricultural setting, the historic town of Katanning has started turning heads. Nigel Oakey invested millions in his Premier Mill Hotel, SBS shot a documentary about the town last year, and artists have been inspired to create public works. The Shire of Katanning is realising the town has serious tourism potential. Over the next six editions, the Herald will examine the character of Katanning to find out what sets it apart and how the town could realise that tourism potential. Shire of Katanning chief executive Julian Murphy said the restoration of the Premier Roller Flour Mill — a building at the centre of town since its foundation in 1891 — had set off a chain reaction. “In April 2018, Dome opened up and then not long after so did the hotel and bar above it,” he said. “So I would say towards the end of that year ... there was a noticeable change in the air around town. “And through these last 18 months we’ve seen a steady rise in appreciation by locals and visitors in what Katanning has to offer.” Late last year, the council adopted a 25-year tourism strategy. Mr Murphy said the Shire’s plan was to build on Katanning’s strong points — history and culture. “It goes back to the traditional owners of the land, the Noongar people here, and then to the original European settlers and to what Katanning is today, which is a migrant community,” he said. “The tourism strategy is all about pulling together all these threads into a cohesive approach, and just telling a story of Katanning and the story of all the special characters that live here.” He said one of the first initiatives was to move the visitor centre to the Katanning Hub Community Resource Centre and extend opening hours to seven days a week. KHCRC manager Katie Wheeler said there were more families in town since the opening of the all-ages playground. “There is just a positive buzz around Katanning, and locals as well as tourists are noticing and commenting on it,” she said. “On average, we have had 50-60 tourists coming through the centre door a week. “Many visitors that return to Katanning tell our staff they can see so many changes in town.” The Katanning CRC is in the process of employing a trainee who will study tourism and help with the rising number of visitors. Mr Murphy said the heart of Katanning was its community, which had formed tighter bonds after last month’s bushfire emergency. “Instead of falling apart, the town has pooled together and it’s been amazing to watch the resilience people have shown,” he said. “We’re lucky that our firefighters did such a stellar job and we got to keep our town.”