Expression of Interest - Dwellingup Trails and Visitor Centre

Nestled in Dwellingup, celebrated as Western Australia’s premier small tourism town in 2021 and crowned Australia’s top tiny tourism town in 2023, an exciting opportunity awaits a capable and dynamic business. The Shire of Murray invites Expressions of Interest (EOI) for the opportunity to lease the western portion of the Dwellingup Trails and Visitor Centre, the only purpose-built facility of its kind in Western Australia. 

Dwellingup is a popular visitor destination renowned for its adventure-based activities, high-quality water and land-based trails and as a place to disconnect. It also hosts the Dwellingup 100 Mountain Bike Classic, one of Australia’s most esteemed mountain-biking events. Each year, more than 300,000 people visit Dwellingup, with it estimated that 70% of those visitors engage in trail-related activities.

The Trails and Visitor Centre, which opened in late 2020, is a state-of-the-art facility specialising in quality visitor services.  Of the 300,000 annual visitors to Dwellingup, around 60% utilise the Trails and Visitor Centre for various purposes, including gathering, visiting the café, collecting maps, hiring bikes, and using the facilities. In the 2022 financial year, about 175,000 visitors entered the Centre.

The eastern section of the Centre houses Waypoints Cafe, a trail-friendly food and beverage operation, and Dwellingup Adventures, a retail space also offering equipment hire and repair services.  

The Shire seeks expressions of interest from qualified and enthusiastic parties capable of providing a distinctive experience that complements the precinct, enhancing the overall appeal of Dwellingup as a thriving visitor destination. This presents a rare and exciting opportunity for an innovative business to play a pivotal role in enhancing the ongoing success and vibrancy of Dwellingup. We are offering a lease on the western portion of the Centre, which includes up to 150m² of internal space, with an option to expand into the adjacent green space, estimated at approximately 250m².

The building lease will be subject to negotiation between the parties. Nothing in this process obligates the Shire to offer or enter into any specific agreement, and the Shire reserves the right to discontinue the EOI process at any time.

View the EOI guidelines.