Economic Transitions works with the shire of Leonora to launch new Geotrail app

Shire of Leonora to launch a brand new geotrail app. The Leonora Geotrail has been developed to highlight geological formations in the area and tie in with the current Leonora Loop Driving Trails, the Agnew Loop and Darlot Loop.

Ancient rocks and structures dating back 2,700 million years form an integral part of the Shire of Leonora landscape – and have been identified as an area of interest for potential tourists. Much of the geology of the region has changed in composition over the millennia from erosion or geological movement, and while some geology is not visible to the naked eye, more recent geological formations have formed pushing through the earth’s surface and are clearly visible.

The geotrail starts at the Leonora Visitor Centre on Tower Street and consists of 14 sites across the Shire, each chosen for their geological significance and mining history. The geotrail app helps people navigate each of the sites and also provides tourist information such as accommodation, points of interest and places to eat and drink.

The trail and app were funded by Minara Community Foundation, which allocated $25,000 to the project.

Principle from Economic Transitions and project manager, Kim Hewson, said: “I’m so pleased to see this new trail app go live in Leonora. It’s something we have worked on for a long time, and there’s been great collaboration from the Shire, the Department of Mines and Petroleum and Glenn Heaton from Easy Mobile Apps to create such a unique tool for tourists. There is a lot of research showing that geology is of great interest to tourists, especially to the Goldfields region. Geology tourism is a growth area and something the Leonora area has an abundance of! This, plus the existing popularity of geocaching, led to the development of the Geotrail.

“The Geotrail App is another great tool for tourists to the Goldfields region. It will help them identify different tourism attractions within the Shire and creates an awareness of the history and the natural environment.

“It’s always a pleasure to work with the Shire of Leonora as they have invested a lot in the development of quality tourism products and are always looking for ways to promote Leonora as a unique destination where visitors can stay a number of days. Growth in visitor numbers will contribute to the economic growth and sustainability of Shire of Leonora and the WA Goldfields region.”

Download the app now from the Apple Store or the Google Play Store.