Stage One work has begun on the iconic Australind Jetty.
Shire of Harvey President Cr Paul Gillett, Minister for Water the Hon. Simone McGurk MLA and Parliamentary Secretary to the Premier Jodie Hanns MLA visited the site to announce the beginning of Stage One work on Friday, 10 February 2023.
Representatives from construction engineering company Ventia and the Western Australian Department of Water and Environmental Regulation also attended the site to see work start on the $3 million project.
Part of the Australind Discovery Centre car park and foreshore walkway is closed off to the public while site mobilisation commences.
It is anticipated that Stage One works will be completed in May. The remaining Stage Two works are scheduled for completion by the end of the year.
The jetty is a valued community asset, but due to its age and deteriorating condition, the Department of Water and Environmental Regulation engaged engineers to inspect both the below water and above water structures and report on the condition in 2021.
The assessment identified significant structural issues with the pier and wooden bridges, which require extensive remedial works before the public can safely access the jetty.
The refurbishment will make the iconic jetty safe and accessible once more.
The Australind Jetty, formerly known as Laporte's Boardwalk/Jetty, was named after a former British company, La Porte Industries, and was established as part of a titanium extraction plant in Australind in the 1960s.
The jetty structure extends about a kilometre into the Leschenault Estuary (Derbal Elaap) and was originally built for a pipeline, which no longer exists.
Updates on the Australind Jetty refurbishment project are available on the WA Government website.