By Michele Nugent.
Visitors to Port Coogee Marina (located in North Coogee, a coastal, western suburb of Perth, WA) can now enjoy a leisurely wander along a new 90m public waterfront timber boardwalk, following completion of stage three of the facility’s expansion.
The City of Cockburn has also added another 69 boat berths to its marina, ranging in size from eight to 25m at the southern and western sides of Maraboo Island.
These are accessed via three innovative floating concrete jetties, taking Port Coogee Marina’s boat pen tally to 227.
As demand grows, a fourth stage will add extra boat pens south of the current jetties, creating a total of 250 berths at the marina.
Cockburn Mayor Logan Howlett said the $5.84m project added to the popularity of the City’s marina with both visitors and pen holders from Cockburn and the greater metropolitan area.
“Our marina is among the first in WA to use the latest design of the high quality ‘Bellingham Unifloat’ floating concrete jetty system which has a 50-year potential service life,” Mayor Howlett said.
“The new boardwalk is an excellent addition to the existing waterside boardwalk and walkways in Port Coogee which is a popular spot for daily walkers.
“There really is something for everyone at Port Coogee Marina, whether you want a sheltered swimming and barbecue spot at Ngarkal Beach, a place for short stop offs or stays aboard your boat, to refuel, pen your boat long-term, or to enjoy fishing off the Port Coogee Marina External Breakwaters.”
City of Cockburn Coastal Management and Planning Engineer Sabina Rahman-Hortsmann said the Bellingham system had a strong track record of dependable quality.
“Many Bellingham jetties built 20-plus years ago are still serviceable and in operation across Australia. The floating concrete and timber system offers excellent stability while still allowing the decks to rise and fall with tide, for maximum safety and usability,” Ms Rahman-Horstmann said.
“The design also has sustainability benefits by minimising the use of exposed plastic to reduce the future chance of micro plastic pollution.”
The project was completed by Australian marine construction company SMC Marine which also committed to ensuring the construction phase was carbon neutral via carbon offsets.
City of Cockburn Port Coogee Marina Manager Sam Standish said new boat berths would be available for long term licences, as well as short term visits for boats wanting to book overnight or across several days for a fee.
Ms Standish said other attractive elements of the expansion project included boardwalk seating made from jarrah recycled from a recent upgrade to Coogee Beach Jetty, motion-activated jetty lighting and a new loading berth area.
“Two new gatehouses will serve the floating jetties and reconfigured car parking on Maraboo Island has created nine new parking bays,” Ms Standish said.
“The Marina Services Building will also be upgraded by November to increase toilet and shower capacity and create a small multipurpose lounge.”
The lower car parking area on the south side of Maraboo Island that was closed to the public during construction has reopened.
The original completion date of December 2021 was set back due to several factors including ground conditions and current industry availability of materials, fabrication and shipping.
For more information, see: www.cockburn.wa.gov.au
