February Newsletter
This month: Multiple grant opportunities available | WA Hiking Strategy Scorecard | Save the date for the WA Trails Forum | Help improve safety with the NatCORR / BoM survey | Updates for Outdoor Education | Opportunities galore in Tourism.
Multiple Grant Programs hit the market
January & February have been bumper months for Grants coming to market. Here’s just a few that could be opportune:
Sport & Recreation Funding Program
The Department of Local Government, Sport and Cultural Industries (DLGSC) is offering grants of up to $50,000 to assist sport and active recreation organisations to plan, secure and deliver sport and mass participation events in WA. Recent recipients have included the Pilbara Trailblazers to set up a “Backyard Ultra” in Karratha; the Shire of Collie to host the Collie River Mountain Bike Marathon; and Triathlon WA for the Busselton Festival of Triathlon. You can find out more here: Sport and Recreation Events Funding Program
Community Trail Planning Grants Program
DLGSC has also announced its Community Trail Planning Grants Program for projects that support the Trail Development Process. The goal is to ensure trail developments across the state are well informed, substantiated and supported by a consistent planning approach. You can find out more here: Community Trail Planning Grants Program
Heart Foundation Active Australia Innovation Challenge
Finally, the Heart Foundation has also announced a round of grant funding for up to $50,000 for new, innovative programs that get more people moving in schools, universities or local community groups. Find out more here: Active Australia Innovation Challenge
WA Hiking Strategy Score Card
DLGSC hosted a Hiking Strategy Workshop in October with representation from a wide range of organisations; user groups; and government agencies engaged in the industry. One of the outcomes was the development of a three-year scorecard highlighting the progress and success of the Hiking Strategy implementation plan, which clearly identifies sustained growth in the sector. An important part of the workshop was also asking participants to provide input into the ‘what’s next’ phase for implementation. Some of the key outcomes of this can be seen in the WA Hiking Strategy infographic
2024 WA Trails Forum
The Trails team at DLGSC have announced the dates for the WA Trails Forum. The Forum’s focus this year is on the strategic priorities of Aboriginal engagement, governance, trail tourism, and sustainable trail development. Make sure you save Friday 19 April in your diaries to attend the Forum in Armadale. You can register for more news on the Forum here: Department of Local Government, Sport and Cultural Industries
NatCORR Weather Survey
Sadly, rescues off the coast or the side of a mountain triggered by rapidly changing weather conditions often feature in the news cycle. To help the industry identify any gaps in weather forecasting for Australia and its impacts on outdoor education and recreation, NatCORR is collaborating with the Bureau of Meteorology to survey the industry. Your input here is crucial in helping us continue to drive safety across the sector. Please help by completing the survey: Weather Survey
Outdoor Ed Research Project
If you’re involved in outdoor education in secondary schools, the team at Notre Dame needs your input. They have just launched a research project that’s looking to investigate the beliefs and practices of secondary school teachers that deliver multi-day outdoor education/learning activities to their students. To find out more, and contribute to this valuable survey, click here: Qualtrics Survey
National Outdoor Education Conference
Save the date! The NOE conference will run from 4-6 December 2024 in Gippsland. You can expect inspiring keynote presenters, an exhibitor hall brimming with resources, ample networking opportunities and carefully crafted content streams for your professional development. More information will be shared soon, but in the meantime, take a look at the teaser video here: NOEC 2024 Promo video
$26M Tourism Investment
The State Government is currently investing heavily in improvements to some of WA’s iconic tourism sites that play host to many outdoor adventure tourism operators across our state. Those to benefit from a fresh $25.9 million investment include repairs and upgrades to the Cape to Cape track; improved facilities in the Karijini National Park; and essential Jetty upgrades at Rottnest Island.
You can read more here: Nearly $26 million in improvements for WA tourism infrastructure
Tourism Awards
Nominations are now open for the 2024 Perth Airport WA Tourism Awards. With outdoor adventure business, Off the Beaten Track having triumphed in the awards last year, it would be great to see some more outdoor businesses staking their claim. Thinking of nominating? You can find out more here: 2024Perth Airport WA Tourism Awards
Trails WA People’s Choice
Following the announcement of its top 150 trails last November, Trails WA took votes for the People’s Choice Top Trails for 2023. After a huge response from the community, the top ten trails for 2023 have been announced. And there could be only one winner. The clue is in the picture, but you can find out who won here: Trails WA Unveils People’s Choice Top Trails
The 496 Challenge
A big thank you to all those who donated to charity, shared messages of support, and even joined in with our CEO who completed the 496 Challenge in December. With the goal of raising awareness of the positive mental health impacts of being active outdoors, and supporting mental health charity, Black Dog Institute, the Challenge involved running the distance of the date of the month every day, including 25km on Christmas day in a Santa outfit. He ended up completing 513km for the month and raising $1,874 for charity. You can still donate if you’re inspired (Black Dog Institute – The 496 Christmas Challenge), or if you’re really inspired, join up to do the challenge this year yourself (The 496 Challenge).