Two new walk trails offering an eco tourism experience have been launched in Denmark in time for the winter holidays.

Plaques installed at the Denmark River mouth and Lights Beach lookout feature a QR code linked to the Waterways website, and a wealth of local stories designed to enrich the visitor experience.

Waterways creative producer Nari Lees said the trails offered an opportunity for people to slow down and reconnect with nature.

Meanwhile, they would learn some local stories and artistic responses to Denmark’s special water places thus celebrating the connection between people and place, family and home.

Nari said that taking the water-walk from Denmark along the Mokare Trail to the Rivermouth was a beautiful experience at any time of year.

But there was something special about experiencing the karri forest and paper barks in the rain.

“Wear your gum boots so you can splash through the puddles on the eastern bank of Kwoorabup as you circle back around the river,” she said.

The WOW Trail between the Ocean Beach windfarm and Lights Beach, traversing the coastal cliffs of Pooryungup, offered a spectacular coastal walk and the chance to spot whales on their winter migration.

The project is a community wide response to Denmark’s waterways, with local people sharing their stories of connection to place with a Denmark Arts film crew over the past few months.

Nari hoped more people would be inspired to add their stories to the interactive ecotourism trails by uploading their photos and films to the website via social media platforms and using #waterways.

This article appeared in the Denmark Bulletin, 30 June 2022.