Central Land Council

 

28 April 2003

Traditional owners welcome Mereenie Loop Road upgrade

The Central Land Council has welcomed the announcement for the development of the Mereenie Loop Road and it has signed a long-term agreement to cover the Aboriginal land on which the road is built. No rent will be charged.

CLC director David Ross said sealing the road would give the Central Australian tourism industry a well-needed boost and greatly benefit the traditional owners.

“Traditional owners see this as a very positive step because they will have better access to their outstations and to services, better road safety and more traffic which could benefit tourist ventures,” Mr Ross said.

“They are happy to be sharing this beautiful part of the country with tourists and locals and they can see many opportunities for development.

“Some have ideas for a cultural centre on the drawing board, others are looking at small-scale tourist ventures and they realise that they need more passing traffic to make these projects successful,” he said.

“A better road means less wear and tear on their cars, and all-year access to their homes which are virtually inaccessible during wet weather. They are also pleased that they will have better access to services such as health,” he said.

Mr Ross said Hermannsburg and Standley Chasm will benefit in particular from more tourists.

“Many tour operators have been reluctant to take the Mereenie Loop Road due to the bad road conditions.Sealing it will encourage many of the smaller operators,” he said.

Mr Ross said that the traditional owners were concerned that people did not leave the road both for their safety and to ensure sacred sites are protected.