Manjimup aims to be art deco capital of WA
Manjimup, in Western Australia's South West, is hoping to become the state's biggest art deco destination.
Like Mildura in Victoria and Napier in New Zealand, the town embarked on a project to turn its art deco townscape into a lucrative tourist attraction.
Manjimup's town centre, once prospering from the butter and tobacco industries, largely fell into disrepair since the collapse of the timber industry in the 1990s.
But many residents did not realise the town centre had its own unique drawcard.
According to the Art Deco Society of WA, Manjimup is home to the highest concentration of art deco style buildings in the state, boasting more than 50 buildings from the era.
Lisa Hannaford grew up in Manjimup and completed a Master's thesis on the town's art deco significance.
Ms Hannaford, a design lecturer at Edith Cowan University, is leading a project aiming to restore all of the art deco buildings to their former glory.
"I felt a bit embarrassed of my country roots and I wanted to feel proud about where I came from, so I looked at a way we could work to raise civic pride in the town so that everyone who lived here and had grown up here felt good about it," she said.
"I realised all these art deco buildings have suffered with that fact that money was tight over the years and that they hadn't really been looked after.
"I'm hoping we can turn Manjimup into more of tourism destination with restored buildings, dances, walking tours and an app.
"For this to work we really needed the people of Manjimup to get involved and make them feel like this project is their own, not an outsider coming in."
Shire President Wade DeCampo said he hoped the project would change the "stigma" attached to the town's identity.
"We've been treading water for some time since the timber industry declined, I think that now it's an opportunity to shed the shackles in relation to being an area that's only known for timber," he said.
"Art deco capital, that's our ambition. It will bring people in by going back to our past and history."
Local businesses have high hopes for increased visitor numbers.
"It's just fantastic to have such unique buildings, it's like sitting on little gold mine," said hairdresser Kathy Yovkoff.
Paula Benson owns the Deja Vu cafe, one of the first art deco buildings to be restored.
"It's really good for the town," she said.
"There are lots of people who love this sort of thing, coming to look at the old buildings, it's the nicest thing out."
The Manjimup Shire and the heritage council have provided $10,000 seed funding for the first six buildings.
Ms Hannaford and the shire are seeking sponsorship for the rest of the restoration.
