Former Harvey Visitor Centre building likely to be leased to Harvey Aboriginal Corporation in short-term plan

An old South West visitor centre building will stay standing after a proposal to demolish it to make way for more parking was rejected by the local council. The Harvey Aboriginal Corporation could soon call the former Harvey Visitor Centre building on James Stirling Place home, after shire councillors at the February 28 meeting voted to potentially lease the building instead. It comes after the shire grappled with the vacant building’s future, with councillors asking chief executive Annie Riordan to examine its potential uses, resulting in four pathways being proposed for its future. The options included its demolition to extend the Stirling Gardens carpark, finding a long-term tenant, repurposing the building as a trail experience centre or the creation of “a unique and immersive May Gibbs experience” to highlight the area’s history. Councillors were recommended to request chief executive Annie Riordan develop a business case for both the potential demolition plan and May Gibbs experience. However, Cr Paul Beech successfully moved an amendment to remove the demolition plan business case from the final decision, and instead requested Ms Riordan to negotiate a one-year lease of the building with the HAC. The site has been vacant since the Harvey Visitor Centre closed at the end of November 2021 after a review of the Shire’s tourism strategy recommended its closure, as well as that of the Australind Visitor Centre. Meanwhile, the May Gibbs option is still on the table, with Mr Beech suggesting it could be a joint venture between the Shire and the HAC. “We’ve got two very iconic experiences we can offer the travelling public and the community at large,” he said. “Whether or not the Aboriginal Corporation and May Gibbs could co-exist (in the same building) would probably be for a matter for negotiations.” Cr Joe Capogreco argued offering the corporation a lease while the May Gibbs business case was developed would allow the building to be occupied in the meantime. “If we were to build a business case around the May Gibbs experience, my experience is that nothing happens very fast,” he said. “By the time council and staff have got to a point where we execute the May Gibbs experience, we could probably have a new Indigenous centre in the Harvey Precinct that the Harvey Aboriginal Corporation would move into and we would move straight in (the visitors centre) with the May Gibbs experience.” Deputy Shire president Michelle Campbell said council staff were looking for direction, which the change would not provide. “We’ve still got one foot in each camp,” she said. “We’re still asking staff to spend their time putting together a business case for the May Gibbs experience, and we’re still saying to the Harvey Aboriginal Corporation ‘we’ll still consider your application’ as well.” Cr Amanda Lovitt said she appreciated the intent behind the amendment, but argued it would see both the May Gibbs experience and the Harvey Aboriginal Corporation diluted individually. “The May Gibbs display is important in its own right and I don’t think that it should be filtered down, it needs to have its own home,” she said. “But at the same time, the amount of work and effort the Harvey Aboriginal Corporation has done over the last few years to get to this point, I don’t want to see their application watered down either.” The vote was carried 8-3, with Cr Lovitt, Cr Campbell and Cr John Bromham voting against, with a draft lease to be put to the council at the shire’s April meeting.