00:00Sue Leighton has been celebrating this region's natural beauty for decades.
00:06You get 360 degree view.
00:08With Ravenslope and Hopeton already famous for wildflowers, she thinks the new marine
00:13park will boost the region's environmental credentials.
00:17Small footprint tourism to me is the way I think we should go and I think that will help.
00:23But others say upgrades to infrastructure are needed before the new park opens.
00:27This is our main boat launching facility for our area.
00:31It's a little bit dated and not safe in all weather conditions.
00:34If we don't get the coastal access right, then we just won't see the full potential
00:41of it realised.
00:43After a local mine closure left hundreds out of a job, tourism is more important than ever.
00:49Tourism is the real opportunity here I believe.
00:52The state government says the Ningaloo Marine Park in WA's north supports almost 1,000 full
00:57time jobs and brings a billion dollars to the local economy.
01:01It says the south coast marine park could have a similar impact.
01:04But with accommodation shortages here in Esperance, there's concerns there just won't be anywhere
01:09for tourists to stay.
01:11And there are differing opinions about where the fishing restrictions in the marine park
01:15will deter visitors.
01:16We're really keen to see a 200 metre setback which would push that marine park boundary
01:21back 200 metres off the coast and allow people to continue to wet a line on these popular
01:25and favourite beaches.
01:26Tourists are confident those challenges can be overcome.
01:30There's currently no evidence to show that a marine park would prevent people from wanting
01:36to come but it does show that it would actually attract that higher value visitor moving forward.
01:41The state government is expected to release its final marine park plans later this year
01:46after public submissions close on Sunday.
Comments