A waterfront boardwalk and 69 new boat berths have opened at Port Coogee Marina as part of the City of Cockburn’s $5.84 million expansion of the marina.
Following the completion of stage three of the Port Coogee Marina expansion, the 90m timber boardwalk has been officially opened to the public, along with 69 boat berths ranging in size from eight to 25m at the southern and western sides of Maraboo Island.
The boat berths can be 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.
City of Cockburn Mayor, Logan Howlett, said the $5.84 million project intends to increase the appeal of the City’s marina to both visitors and pen holders from Cockburn and the greater metropolitan area.
“Our marina is among the first in Western Australia 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.”
