Witchcliffe road moved to protect 'Grandmother Marri'

The Shire of Augusta Margaret River has confirmed the Leeuwin @ Witchcliffe subdivision will be modified to allow an iconic tree, believed to be more than 450 years old, to remain standing.

Dubbed the ‘Grandmother Marri’, the tree originally lay in the patch of a road which would act as a main thoroughfare for the new estate.

In August, locals came together to raise concerns over the threat to the tree, believed to be one of the oldest of its kind in the region.

The Shire said it raised those concerns with the developer, working with them to safeguard the tree.

The Shire’s Manager of Planning and Development Services, Matt Cuthbert said the planning team was happy to have played a role in protecting the Grandmother Marri.

“Our unique natural environment is important to everyone who lives in Augusta-Margaret River, and one of the reasons we all love living here,” he said.

“Once the developer understood the tree’s significance, they were eager to collaborate with us to explore ways of we could protect it.”

The original plans, approved by the WA Planning Commission in December 2022, proposed that the road would navigate past the tree, but close enough to cause concerns over its future.

The developers have opted to reposition the road and introduce additional measures to ensure the tree’s health during construction of homes and roads in the area.

An arborist recommended that the road be constructed outside of a 15-metre protection zone, and the Shire said the developer had taken this “a step further” by electing to move the road 25 metres from the tree.

Temporary fencing will also be installed during construction to ensure construction traffic remains outside of the tree protection zone and minimise surface level root disturbance.

“We’re committed to balancing our region’s growth with environmental protection so we can retain the natural beauty that defines where we live,” Mr Cuthbert said.

“We’re proud to have achieved this positive outcome on behalf of our community.”

Site work is expected to begin at the subdivision this month.