Zig Zag Scenic Drive

Update! Please find an update as resulting from the 27 October 2020 Ordinary Council Meeting.

Council has approved an extension to the temporary closure of Zig Zag Scenic Drive. This extension applies to all vehicles and is applied to no later than 28 February 2021 unless determined by Council at an earlier date.

This purpose of this extension is to allow the Administration to complete analysis of the community feedback received, considering the consultation attracted in excess of 1,330 returned surveys and submissions over the engagement period. There is a significant amount of work involved in properly analysing this feedback.

The Zig Zag Scenic Drive is a one-way road down the western side of the Darling Range, within the Gooseberry Hill National Park. It was originally a section of railway line built to transport timber from the top of the escarpment down to the commercial centre of Midland. Today it is a steep, one-way 3km drive that winds down a very narrow road with many hairpin turns, and dynamic changes of scenery around every corner. The Zig Zag is a flagship feature of the Gooseberry Hill National Park. Unfortunately, the site also has a long history of anti-social issues, with Council approving a sequence of traffic calming and parking improvements in Lascelles Parade and new measures aimed at tourism and addressing antisocial behaviour back in 2014, which were then rolled out by the City. Projects showed promising signs of improvement early on, however the ongoing issues relating to hooning, damage to the natural environment and other antisocial activity in the area have continued to be in the spotlight.

Following on from a temporary 6-month closure of Zig Zag drive due to hooning and other anti-social activity, The City of Kalamunda will be considering a permanent decision regarding motor vehicle access to the iconic Zig Zag drive and wishes to consult with the community on this topic.

Comments close 5pm, Monday 7 September 2020.