WHEN WA artist Wendy Binks bought a holiday home in Dwellingup, little did she think years later she would be launching her quirky birds on a visual procession to the award-winning Forest Heritage Centre (FHC).
The Emu Trail, designed to usher visitors from the town centre of Dwellingup along a wooded 1km path into the forest right up to the centre, features 10 of Binks’ character emus and will be launched by Premier Mark McGowan on Saturday.
Each is a different quirky bird, and delivers Binks’ bright cheeky fun directly into the woodlands, making the easy stroll from the town to the tourist centre a celebration of art and nature.
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READ NOWForest Heritage Centre chair Sue Fyfe said the opening of the Emu Trail this weekend capped a period of revitalisation and consolidation for the attraction.
“We have been marking a few milestones over the past months and this one caps off what I like to refer to as the ‘creative rebirth’ of our much-loved centre,” she said.
The Emu Trail follows both the road and footpath leading to the centre so visitors will be able to follow it by driving, but FHC manager Shani Holster said tourists were encouraged to walk or ride the easy trail.
“The bright emus are also cleverly positioned on local business premises and the walk itself is made distinct by emu footprints every 5m so no-one will stray,” she said.
“We were able to commission Wendy’s work and all the elements of our Emu Trail thanks to a recent State Government Royalties for Regions grant of $36,000 from the Peel Development Commission.”
The launch this Saturday starts in the Dwellingup town centre at 10am with a community walk along the trail and continues at the FHC with a traditional Welcome to Country, nature play activities for kids, arts and crafts, bill tea and damper and live music.
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