Avon Valley NP Airstrip

The closure was likely due to a combination of factors rather than a single event. The primary reasons are believed to be:
1. **Operational Redundancy:** Air support operations for the national park, particularly for firefighting and reconnaissance, were likely consolidated at larger, better-equipped, and more centrally located airfields such as Northam Airport (YNTM) or Cunderdin Airport (YCUN).
2. **High Maintenance Costs:** Maintaining a remote, unpaved airstrip to a safe and usable standard requires ongoing funding for grading, clearing vegetation, and inspections. As its operational importance waned, these costs likely became unjustifiable for the park's managing body (now the Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions - DBCA).
3. **Environmental and Conservation Policy:** National Park management policy generally favors minimizing human infrastructure and impact. Closing the airstrip and allowing the area to revegetate aligns with the core conservation mission of the park.

The site is completely disused and unserviceable for any aviation activity. Satellite imagery clearly shows a long, straight clearing in the bush where the runway was, but it is now significantly overgrown with shrubs and small trees. The surface is unmaintained and would be unsafe for landing or takeoff. The area has reverted to being part of the natural landscape of the Avon Valley National Park and is accessible only via park management tracks.

The Avon Valley NP Airstrip was a utility airfield of local and functional significance, not a public or commercial airport. Its primary purpose was to support the management of the Avon Valley National Park.

Operations it handled included:
- **Fire Management:** It served as a crucial base for light aircraft used in fire spotting (aerial reconnaissance) and potentially as a forward operating base for agricultural aircraft converted for water bombing during bushfire seasons.
- **Park Operations:** The strip was used to transport park rangers, scientists, equipment, and supplies to a relatively remote area of the park.
- **Emergency Access:** It provided a potential landing site for emergency services, such as for medical evacuations or search and rescue operations within the rugged terrain of the park.

The airstrip would have handled light single-engine aircraft, such as Cessna and Piper models, capable of operating from short, unpaved surfaces. The ICAO code 'AU-0031' is an unofficial identifier used in non-governmental aviation databases and is not an official code assigned by ICAO or Airservices Australia.

There are no known plans or prospects for reopening the airstrip. The likelihood of it ever being reopened is extremely low to nil. The original operational needs are now met by other means, and the significant cost of restoring the runway, combined with modern environmental policies for national parks, makes such a project unfeasible and contrary to the park's conservation objectives.