The famous Kimberley tourism precinct at El Questro will be returned to traditional owners and the cattle station will become a nature reserve after an unprecedented deal was announced on Wednesday. 

It marks a historic change in tenure to the 165,000-hectare pastoral station, first granted by the Crown in 1903.

A new Indigenous Land Use Agreement has been struck between Wilinggin Aboriginal Corporation (WAC) and the West Australian government to change the pastoral lease to both freehold and reserve tenures.

It allows WAC to divest the station of cattle and to lease the freehold portion to the previous pastoral lessee, tourism company G'day Group, to run its tourist operation for 99 years.  

"This agreement … is a solid achievement that we hope our young people will see as a way forward for our community to regain a place at the table of decision making," Arnold Sahanna, chair of Wilinggin Aboriginal Corporation, said.

Mr Sahanna said it would build a "sustainable economic base" for the Ngarinyin people, with proposed employment and training, carbon credits, and cultural experiences for tourists.

Groundbreaking agreement supported

G'day Group bought El Questro in 2021, bringing the iconic property back into Australian hands for the first time in a decade.

CEO Grant Wilckens said he was "proud" to see the land returned to traditional owners.

"I'm absolutely thrilled with the change. It's something we've been working on for quite some time," Mr Wilckens said.

It had been a "complex process" over 18 months to negotiate the groundbreaking changes proposed by WAC and supported by the WA government.

Mr Wilckens said leasing the freehold title from WAC gave his company more security to expand and invest, unlike the more restrictive pastoral lease.

"Cattle is not our core business. It is challenging maintaining fences and running cattle, and it's not what that site should be," he said.

"But under the legislation, we had to. It was an unusual situation … it's been an uncomfortable position."

 

The agreement covers the southern portion of G'day Group's operations but does not include Emma Gorge Resort, which sits on Balanggarra land to the north.

Mr Wilckens plans to increase Indigenous employment and work towards making the property "net zero" emissions by better managing waste, electricity generation, and carbon credits.

West Australian Lands Minister John Carey said the state government was "deeply proud" of the agreement.

“The conversion of tenure over the majority of the El Questro pastoral lease has the potential to attract further investment in our state’s magnificent Kimberley region," he said. 

“This agreement will not only ensure economic activity continues to flow through to the wider region, but it also sets out to be environmentally responsible through sustainable land use and management practices.”