Heritage push for Caves Road going nowhere as Heritage Council WA puts focus on Albany and Perth

A push to win heritage listing for the region’s most historic tourist drive is struggling.

The latest communications from the WA Heritage Council indicates the Caves Road project has been put on the back burner with no firm date for action in sight.

That comes despite the Shire of Augusta-Margaret River accepting the road into its heritage register in 2021 amid community efforts to have the road listed by the State Government heritage body dating back to 2018.

Former deputy Shire president Pauline McLeod said the lack of progress was frustrating.

As the chair of the group banded together for the heritage push, Ms McLeod told the Times the latest news showed the Caves Road listing needed more serious consideration by the Heritage Council.

“I am really hoping to keep the pressure on having the road assessed for listing,” she said.

“It is such an important local heritage asset.”

The Augusta-Margaret Times reported the push amid concerns a long-pledged Main Roads WA upgrade plan could affect the character of the historic route with widening and tree removal sparking worries among the community.

Although the major upgrade was still yet to receive State Government funding, the first stage of vegetation removal was slated for this financial year.

Main Roads was unable to outline the scope of the project or the number of trees to be removed until further consultation with a reference group involved in the planning.

However, the agency was already on record against the heritage listing for Caves Road.

In 2022, it was reported the State Government road agency viewed heritage listing as an obstacle for its upgrade ambitions.

“If Caves Road was to be listed as proposed, any works on the road may result in an unworkable process to manage and maintain it efficiently and effectively, and make improvements extremely problematic,” Main Roads said.

This week, Main Roads said it was not involved in the heritage consideration and did not respond to questions about whether the lack of progress on its upgrade was due to the listing process being in limbo.

In correspondence, Heritage Council WA chair Darren Foster said the Caves Road listing was important, but not in consideration for at least the next two years.

“There are many worthy sites across WA that warrant consideration,” he said.

“The Heritage Council has recently identified 10 places that it has asked to be given the highest priority for assessment, noting that Albany is approaching its 200th anniversary of colonisation in 2026 and WA – Swan River Colony – in 2029.”

Mr Foster said the council would focus on other places and groups “that have traditionally been underrepresented” for the next two years.

“Unfortunately, the assessment of Caves Road was not one of those given the highest priority. This is no reflection on the cultural heritage significance of the place,” he said.

“Caves Road remains of interest to the Heritage Council.”

Ms McLeod cited frustration that the latest advice was based on error, with the Shire already signing off on its own assessment and supportive of the heritage listing.

She said with Caves Road taking in the under-pressure Leeuwin-Naturaliste National Park, it was a critical time to advance on the route’s heritage status.