1
Introduction
2
Context
3
South West Overview
4
Transformative Opportunities
5
Positioning the South West
6
Contact & Feedback
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The South West region is approximately 24,000km2 of which 16,000km2 comprises of State forest, national parks, conservation parks, nature and timber reserves. About 6,000km2 is occupied by agricultural and rural uses; with some 2,000km2 used for industrial and urban development.
The Warren Blackwood sub-region has an economy based on agriculture, mining, timber and tourism. Manjimup is the sub-regional centre and includes the shires of Manjimup, Boyup Brook, Nannup and Bridgetown-Greenbushes. Manjimup Shire has more than 500 agriculture businesses that collectively generate $541m in annual agricultural output (ABS 2024). It is WA’s largest horticulture producer. Similarly, agriculture remains the dominant industry in Boyup Brook, accounting for 57.2% of all employment in the Shire.
The Warren-Blackwood has the largest number of individual small settlements of the South West, mainly a result of the historic development of small timber mill towns that emerged almost a century ago.
Access to native forest timber ceased in 2023, effectively ending the hardwood timber industry. However, the sub-region features significant softwood plantations.
Greenbushes is home to the world’s premium lithium ore (spodumene) resource, producing 20% of global supplies. The operation continues to expand. The Greenbushes Chemical Grade Plant 3 is now running and CPG4 has been approved by the EPA. The mine is a major regional employer and produces about 6mtpa.
Image by Tourism WA, Frances Andrijich
