When I was academic at Curtin University, I part of the then Centre for Sport and Recreation Research (CSRR), and we received a grant from Department of Local Government, Sport and Cultural Industries to carry out this study. I was the lead researcher in this study.
The purpose of the project was to provide a baseline understanding of recreational use of the Perth coastline – drawing on existing information regarding coastal planning, site visits to determine location of existing and proposed infrastructure, and extensive consultation with coastal recreation stakeholders. The key outcome was a report that contained maps and information that are a valuable reference for decision making by coastal planners and managers and stakeholders.
The report covers the whole Perth Metropolitan area.
Some of the maps in the report are infrastructure audits - see opposite.
There were also maps showing specific infrastructure along the whole coastline - see below.
We also developed a Coastal Recreational Use Classification Framework where we categorised the coast into either nodes or connectors.
We identified five types of recreation nodes:
Beach access nodes – provide for only beach and water-based uses;
Minor activity nodes – provide additional park-based active and passive uses, with greater capacity for specialist water-based use;
Moderate activity nodes – provide a greater variety of park-based recreation, including commercial and indoor uses, however may restrict specialist water- based uses;
Major activity nodes – provide more extensive commercial opportunities and are typically used for tourism purposes;
Boat harbour nodes – facilitate many specialist water- based (boating) uses, however can restrict many water, beach and park-based uses.
And three types of connectors:
Wild connectors – have limited beach and water- based recreation, however may provide unique aesthetic, nature and wilderness experiences;
Dune path connectors – permit greater access to the beach and typically contain shared paths and supporting infrastructure that facilitate a range of additional recreational uses, along with enhanced aesthetic and educational experiences;
Urban connectors – have enhanced water and beach and path-based uses, however have negligible nature and wilderness experiences.
The report has a series of maps that shows the coast categorised using these nodes and connectors.
Two examples of these maps are shown below. The report has a file size of over 40MB and can be downloaded in parts below. If you would like a copy of the whole report as one file or to find out more about the study and our methodology please email me using this link.
Perth Coastal Recreational use study report in parts:
