The establishment of a heritage trail throughout the town of Ravensthorpe had been a long standing idea of then archivist Ann Williams. Finally, in 2018 things started to happen!
RHS combined with Ravensthorpe Progress Association and decided that a picnic shelter, which could, sometimes in the future, be turned into a railway station replica, should also be erected over the existing table and benches at the old railway station site. To that end RHS lodged a grant application with the Ravensthorpe Hopetoun Future Fund in 2018. It was successful and $20,000 were allocatd to the project. Afurther application with Lottery West was also successful, adding $10,000 to the coffers. The project was up and running!
As far as possible, all labour and material was sourced locally. The pedestals for the heritage street trail were made by Hopetoun Men in Sheds out of recycled telegraph poles. Unfortunately, these pedestals were deemed unsatisfactory by the Shire authorities and replaced with jarrah look-alike steel ones. Plaques, laser printed on marine grade steel, had to be done in Perth, by Talbot Walsh Engraving. The design and layout was commissioned from R. Goldfinch. And the picnic shelter was built by local carpenter, Colin Hughes. The Shire agreed to be responsible for organising the new pedestals and plant them.
RHS feels that that the development of this trai adds interest to the town and allows visitors and locals to take an educational stroll while pondering what was a very interesting past.
A leaflet mapping the trail is available at the visitor centre.