Mining billionaire Andrew Forrest is emerging as one of the most influential people in Western Australia's pristine Ningaloo World Heritage area, with plans to invest more than $100 million in tourism and marine research.

Key points: A caravan park will be turned into a luxury resort by Andrew Forrest's Minderoo Group

A caravan park will be turned into a luxury resort by Andrew Forrest's Minderoo Group The resort and tours of his outback cattle station will be marketed to Asian tourists

The resort and tours of his outback cattle station will be marketed to Asian tourists But there are fears over its environmental footprint and impact on turtle populations

Mr Forrest said he planned to transform a run-down caravan park opposite Ningaloo Reef into a luxury ecotourism resort, which would be promoted to Asian tourists along with an outback experience at his family property, Minderoo Station.

The Shire of Exmouth said the development in WA's north-west would make him the region's biggest employer, creating 57 jobs during construction and 123 jobs in operation, as well as other jobs in the local tourism industry.

"The proposed investment by Mr Forrest will be transformational to Exmouth and this region," shire chief executive Cameron Woods said.

"The resort will meet accommodation gaps in the market whilst offering something for everyone with world class eco-resort facilities unique to the natural landscape."

Andrew Forrest has advanced plans to establish the resort on an old caravan park site. ( ABC News: Jacob Kagi )

One of Australia's richest men with an estimated wealth of almost $12 billion, Mr Forrest has also established a marine research centre for his Flourishing Oceans project at the Ningaloo Centre in nearby Exmouth, pledging to spend $2.5 million on capital works and invest heavily in research.

Mr Forrest, the founder of Fortescue Metals Group who has made the bulk of his wealth from the resources industry, has a personal interest in marine biology.

He will graduate with a PhD from the University of Western Australia, for his thesis entitled Pelagic Ecology and Solutions for a Troubled Ocean, but he said he preferred to remain known as Mr Forrest.

Mr Forrest bought the caravan park site in 2017 and has also acquired neighbouring property, some of which was previously unallocated Crown land.

The Ningaloo World Heritage area is about 1,200 kilometres north of Perth. ( Supplied: Tourism WA )

The caravan park, which would be developed by his commercial investment company Minderoo Group, was closed in October, with many locals who lived there moving out.

They included local brewer Pete Firth, who described the site as a "developer's dream".

"That was the closest you could get to living on the reef without camping in the national park," he said.

Exmouth's 'once-in-a-generation opportunity'

Mr Forrest's wider investment in the Ningaloo area, 1,200 kilometres north of Perth, has been strongly supported by the Shire of Exmouth.

The council recently voted to give his philanthropic company, Minderoo Foundation, a 39-year lease for its marine research headquarters at the Ningaloo Centre, in exchange for the peppercorn rental of $1 a year.

The centre could also host international conferences and researchers, attracted to the internationally renowned ecosystems around the Ningaloo Reef.

Ningaloo Reef near Exmouth is one of the longest fringing coral reefs in the world. ( Supplied: Amber Triglone )

Shire president Matthew Niikkula told a council meeting earlier this year he was excited Mr Forrest wanted to build a resort which would respect environmental values and was "obviously not subject to finance".

"The Minderoo Foundation are fast becoming a major supporter of Exmouth and the Ningaloo Region, aligning itself with many parts of our Strategic Community Plan," he said.

"It is no secret that they have purchased the Lighthouse Caravan Park, and have intentions of building a high-class eco-resort to further showcase our rich environmental assets to the world.

"This is a very exciting, once-in-a-generation opportunity for Exmouth."

Bid to draw Asian tourists to WA

Mr Woods revealed details of the resort's target market when he explained Mr Forrest's plans to the federal Joint Standing Committee on Northern Australia last year.

"Our feedback through the Minderoo Foundation is that he's going to take it to the Asian market, so he wants to build an environmental eco-resort and obviously tie in his Minderoo Foundation, his Minderoo Station, with some kind of outback experience — because that's a 20-minute Cessna flight from Exmouth," he said in evidence.

The resort will be promoted alongside an outback experience at Mr Forrest's Minderoo Station. ( Supplied: Ron D'Raine )

Mr Woods said Mr Forrest's investment could help the region attract more international tourists.

"[He] is intending to spend $100 million over the next five years. That will take that from a low-yield destination to a high-yield," he said.

"He will improve the facilities for it to be an ecotourism resort, which gives us some confidence that, if we can get other support in key infrastructure, then the destination can meet international demand."

Minderoo Group declined a request for an interview about its tourism plans, with a spokesman saying the project budget was still under development.

Resort's environmental footprint sparks concerns

Fewer than 3,000 people live in Exmouth but the population can double in the tourist season, when people flock to the isolated region to experience its wild, natural beauty and biodiversity, including the opportunity to swim with the world's biggest fish, the whale shark.

While many locals have welcomed Mr Forrest's interest in the Ningaloo region, they told the ABC they wanted to know exactly what types of accommodation he planned to offer, and for how many people, at the environmentally sensitive site.

Swimming with whale sharks is one of the most popular tourist attractions at Ningaloo. ( Supplied: AIMS / Wayne Osborn )

Preliminary designs by Kerry Hill Architects — the firm which has been redesigning Mr Forrest's Tukurua estate in Cottesloe — did not reveal much about the nature of the resort, although they showed multi-storey buildings.

While no development application has been submitted, initial planning documents presented to the Shire of Exmouth and advertised for public comment have raised concerns among environmentalists and WA Government bodies.

The Department of Planning, Lands and Heritage pointed out that the proposed three-storey buildings were contrary to planning rules, which dictated single-level buildings.

Cape Conservation Group chairwoman Denise Fitch said the group welcomed Minderoo's interest in the region and thought the caravan park redevelopment could be a great thing if done the right way.

"We'd thought this redevelopment would demonstrate world's best practice in terms of sustainability and sensitivity to the environment, so we were a little disappointed by the plans we initially saw put to the shire," she said.

"Our hope is that this development can leave a smaller footprint in terms of power, water, waste, light, be more sympathetic to the landscape aesthetically, and lead by example in terms of upholding a higher standard environmentally."

Fears for turtle populations

In its submission to the council, the Ningaloo Coast World Heritage Advisory Committee, which advises the WA Government on how to manage the site, highlighted its concerns about the potential impact of the development on turtle populations.

It was especially alarmed at the potential of lighting from the development to disturb mating turtles and also disorient turtle hatchlings looking for the sea.

There are concerns the resort could disturb turtle populations at Ningaloo. ( ABC Open contributor Peter Wandmaker )

"The proposed … elevation of the two- to three-storey buildings and conventional lighting will likely create disturbance to emerging turtle hatchlings, causing them to orientate away from the sea and towards the land (and the light source)," the committee's submission said.

"There are anecdotal reports of hatchlings found swimming in the pool of the current caravan park, this could potentially be from the existing artificial light source around the pool disorientating the hatchlings."

A Minderoo Group spokesman said the company would adhere to all the relevant planning and environmental frameworks.

"Minderoo Group is committed to protecting turtles and turtle nesting habitats," he said.