WA RED Grants back Aboriginal‑owned Nowanup workshop to grow cultural tourism and land care

An Aboriginal-owned organisation in Western Australia’s Great Southern is set to build a new multipurpose workshop after securing funding through the State Government’s Regional Economic Development (RED) Grants program, a move the government says will support Aboriginal-led tourism and environmental management.

In a Round 8 announcement, the WA Government said six Great Southern projects will share $1.02 million in RED Grants funding, supporting “economic diversification and long-term business resilience” across the region. Among the recipients is Nowanup Noongar Boodjar Ltd, which will receive $160,000 to construct a multipurpose workshop.

The government says the workshop will support growth in “Aboriginal led cultural tourism and environmental management”, with the project expected to strengthen Aboriginal employment opportunities and enhance land care management outcomes in the Great Southern.

Regional Development Minister Stephen Dawson said the program is designed to help regional communities build longer-term economic strength. “The Regional Economic Development Grants provide a valuable opportunity to diversify our regional economies, create new jobs and deliver sustainable employment and training outcomes” he said.

Nowanup, based in the Great Southern, describes itself as “a place of healing” focused on ecological and cultural restoration, inviting visitors to connect to boodja (Country) through cultural connection camps. On its website, the organisation says its Nowanup Caretakers program has been “healing landscapes and communities since 2015”, with on-Country work supporting intergenerational knowledge transfer and culturally meaningful land care for Noongar people.

The RED Grants program is delivered by WA’s regional development commissions and is part of a longer investment stream aimed at regional jobs and business capability. The Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development says the WA Government is investing $60.85 million over 11 years in the RED Grants program for projects that directly benefit regional communities.

Across the Great Southern, Round 8 funding also backed projects in manufacturing, agribusiness and hospitality, including grants for advanced switchboard manufacturing in Albany, a heavy plant workshop and training facility near Mount Barker, and upgrades to visitor accommodation in Denmark. For Nowanup, the government says the new workshop infrastructure will support work that combines cultural tourism with environmental management and land care, while building local employment opportunities.