Family owned caravan park secures funds for wheelchair-friendly cabins on pristine Hopetoun coastline

Exploring WA’s pristine southern coast will soon be more accessible for wheelchair-users, as a family owned caravan park has secured funding to build wheelchair-friendly cabins. The project at Hopetoun Beachside Caravan Park has received $200,000 through the State Government’s Regional Economic Development Grants program. Rachel Small, who runs the park with partner Travis Daw with their three children in tow, said the cabins would be the first in the Ravensthorpe region to be fully wheelchair-accessible. Ms Small said attracting more visitors to the remote town was more important than ever as the community weathered the storm of mine closures. “Ravensthorpe has recently had a big downturn in the mining industry . . . it’s really ideal timing for this project to be happening so that we can really focus on pushing tourism in the area,” Ms Small said. “To be able to kind of bolster tourism with these cabins is going to be really important for the whole community.” The couple were inspired to build accessible cabins when they saw the barriers faced by Mr Daw’s brother. “My brother’s in a wheelchair, he’s got two kids, and they would love to come to Hopetoun but they just can’t at the moment,” Mr Daws said. “We’ve seen first-hand the limitations and that the area doesn’t offer anything for families like his.” The RED funding will enable the installation of two fully accessible two-bedroom cabins within the next 12-18 months, featuring wheelchair-friendly facilities, including a communal deck and barbecue area. The caravan park was among six RED Grant recipients in the Goldfields-Esperance region announced by Regional Development Minister Don Punch in Kalgoorlie-Boulder on Friday. “These businesses have been planning and thinking about how they can better service the region,” Mr Punch told the Kalgoorlie Miner. “It often starts off with a little bit of an idea, and then gradually works up and we know that the process of applying for these grants really helps businesses to focus their projects. “(The grants) make the world of difference to a business that just needs that helping hand to take the next step to expand.” Other RED Grant recipients included Kalgoorlie-Boulder’s EpiCafe, which received $240,000 to support the expansion of its work training people living with disabilities. Esperance Smash Repairs will use its $145,000 grant to set up an automotive spray booth to help get cars back on the roads sooner. Demolition WA received $125,000 for asbestos removal works, Hydramech Engineering was granted $90,000 for machinery acquisition, and Drake-Brockman Building and Construction received $250,000 for a cabinetry and wall framing workshop. Kalgoorlie MLA Ali Kent said it was great to see Goldfields-Esperance businesses receiving funding to deliver exciting projects that benefited the region and community. “This year’s projects will bring new technology, innovation and skills to the region, as well as boost tourism, training and increase productivity,” she said. “The Cook Government is committed to delivering economic benefits through the RED Grants program, which continue to strengthen local businesses and organisations to adapt, develop, grow and diversify to better service regional communities.”