Attendance figures for a new tourism drawcard in the Avon Valley have fallen short of initial expectations, but the Shire of Northam is confident the facility can become an international attraction.
Northam's Bilya Koort Boodja Centre for Nyoongar Culture and Environmental Knowledge was opened in August 2018, with hopes it would become a world leader in Indigenous education.
Fast forward 10 months and the centre is yet to crack the international market and there is a call for more local community support.
Up until the end of December 2018, 3239 visitors had gone to the Bilya Koort Boodja (BKB) centre - of which 12 per cent were overseas or interstate visitors.
Over that time there had been seven school visits and a number of group visits.
The Avon Valley and Wheatbelt Advocate has explored the region's tourism scene in recent weeks and it has become evident Northam is behind its neighbours in visitor numbers.
The Shire of York has led the way in tourism growth of late, with visitor centre numbers increasing from 19,800 in 2016/17 to more than 36,000 people the following year.
Results in Northam do not follow the same growth, with the 2018/19 financial year tracking to have the lowest visitor numbers in four years at around 10,000 visits.
Shire of Northam chief executive Jason Whiteaker said the slow traffic at the BKB was not something to be concerned about.
"Visitors numbers have probably been a little bit slower than what we planned - but these things take time to get the word out and have traction," he said.
"Centre staff have met with a range of tour operators around the state and we have had our first international tour booked in.
"We are trying to put packages together so people don't just come to the region to do one thing.
"They might come up on a Friday night to stay at one of the accommodations, get up in the morning to go ballooning, do a bit of shopping, tour the BKB and get out on country and have an experience.
"It is about trying to package an experience."
The BKB, developed by the Shire of Northam in partnership with the Shire of Northam Aboriginal Advisory Group, was established as an interactive educational experience about the Nyoongar Ballardong region.
Mr Whiteaker said local support of the BKB centre was an important step in attracting out-of-town visitors.
Free family passes were given to 5000 households within the Shire, but only 169 passes had been used by the end of 2018.
"The local support is critical," he said.
"Whether or not we need to look at how we encourage locals to bring that family and friends into the BKB, we might need to do something around that.
"It might be if someone comes in a pays once and they bring two visitors they will get in for free.
"I understand when there is cost involved and you have people visiting every few weeks you're not going to want to keep going back and paying.
"I think there are some things that we can do."
Shire of Northam community services executive manager Ross Rayson said the centre had been widely utilised as an educational tool within the Shire and surrounding areas.
"The centre is also running cultural awareness training, which has been utilised by a number of organisations both within and outside the Shire," Mr Rayson said.
"The centre is working with tourism providers to get established as part of the day trip tourism market from Perth, and is working closely with a couple of bus tour operators on developing a day trip experience for their customers."
Although the centre has attracted lower than anticipated numbers, the reception from local Aboriginal elders has been positive.
Speaking to the Avon Valley and Wheatbelt Advocate ahead of the centre opening in August 2018, Aboriginal elder and Aboriginal Advisory Group member Kathy Davis said the space was a step towards reconciliation.
"The centre is not about the colour of your skin," she said. "It's about coming together and understanding and respecting both sides; black and white.
"We can live together. All we ask for is one building to get people to understand."
Mrs Davis said the consultation between the Shire and the advisory committee enabled the centre to share local stories.
The Avon Valley and Wheatbelt Advocate requested updated attendance statistics but is yet to receive them.
Have you been to the centre? What do you think of the tourism potential? Send a letter to the editor to eliza.wynn@fairfaxmedia.com.au.
