Tourism Awards 2022
Posted: 22nd November 2022
Posted in: News
Bungle Bungle Savannah Lodge recently received Gold in the Unique Accommodation category & Silver in the EcoTourism category at the 2022 Perth WA Tourism Awards. We’re so grateful to operate in Purunululu National Park, home to a landscape that is over 350 million years old. We acknowledge our responsibility in minimising our environmental footprint to ensure this magical region can be appreciated and explored for many years to come.
Purnululu is recognised for the significant environmental, geographic and cultural values, which lifts it to the highest level in UNESCO World Heritage listed sites. Its natural heritage value encompasses the flora and fauna, the ecosystems, and the unique and extremely fragile geological beehive structures. Purnululu is also significant to the local Traditional Custodians who have designated the areas open to visitors.
Our commitment to the protection of Purnululu is embedded in our policies and procedures, including our Environmental Management Plan. Our success is evidenced by the environmental accreditations that we’ve achieved over the years, including our long-standing ECO Tourism and Respecting Our Culture certification. This accreditation recognises businesses that focus on optimal resources use, leaves minimal impact on the environment, and offers interesting ways to learn about the environment with operators that use resources wisely, contribute to conserving the environment and help local communities.
Bungle Bungle Savannah Lodge has a culturally diverse team, which includes 19% Traditional Custodian employees. The Traditional Custodian engagement with guests has proven to be a compelling advantage in assisting guests to understand and appreciate the cultural and environmental aspects of Purnululu. Cherylene Nocketta, a senior Gija woman and Bungle Bungle Savannah Lodge employee loves to explain the seasons in her calendar, plants and animals of her place, and bushtucker and medicinal plants her family use.
Our management team go above and beyond to continue to fine tune their sustainable practices and put forward new ideas. This season, the team were able to recycle 4158 containers, through refillable amenities they saved 5220 containers from landfill and their on-site chickens consume 10kg of scraps per day saving it from landfill.
We are continuing to develop the infrastructure to increase our solar power usage and decrease our generator use. We added 48 new solar panels which has led to a 1,540% increase in solar power production, as a result we have reduced out generator operation by 2hr/day.
This year, Bungle Bungle Savannah Lodge launched a partnership with Warmun Art Centre. This initiative included partnering with Warmun elders to conduct smoking ceremonies at the lodge for staff and guests and displaying and selling artwork at the lodge. This initiative enabled Bungle Bungle Savannah Lodge to help share the culture of the local Aboriginal people in an ethical and sustainable way.
We are all so excited to continue to develop our environmental practices and work with Traditional Custodians to look after the natural landscape we call home.