Fishing in the desert? Sounds bizarre doesn’t it! It is in fact an ingenious project of Western Australia’s Coolgardie Shire to ignite tourism back into its local area.
With a population of 4,800 the Shire of Coolgardie has seen many changes. Once a closed mining town, Coolgardie saw its local mining giant contract its mining interests out. This greatly reduced interest in the community.
The Fishing in the Desert project was introduced in 2000 to raise community spirit and its profile. So what is Fishing in the Desert?
“The aim of Fishing in the Desert is to bring a coastal fishing experience to the goldfields,” said Coolgardie Shire’s Community Development Officer, Barry Gresham. “Some 250 rainbow trout were obtained from Pemberton in the south west of WA, and placed in a swimming pool.”
Attracting 1,000 patrons, local community groups banded together to ignite this unique concept providing services and support.
“Testimonials from the wider community and tourists indicated that the concept was a good idea which brought various community groups closer,” Barry Gresham said Through the event, many other initiatives and projects have come into being, such as the Red Hill Run and the Community Christmas Tree. Although Coolgardie is still a mining town, the focus has shifted in that there is a genuine realisation in our region’s sports, culture, arts and tourism potential,” he said.
Initiated by Coolgardie Shire, Fishing in the Desert is now coordinated by the Kambalda Tourist Bureau. Council remains proactive and supportive of the event.
“At the end of the day the whole experience has been very interesting and Council looks forward to other challenges,” Barry Gresham said.
This year Fishing in the Desert is on 14 July.
