Hillarys Boat Harbour enhancement program

Hillarys Boat Harbour has completed a major program of capital works improvements.

 

Stage 1 works (completed)

Directional signage

Special signage, which is part of a plan to improve access and traffic congestion at the facility, has been put up to assist the growing number of people visiting the harbour.

The signage not only improves access for people wanting direction to specific attractions, it also reinforces the name of the facility. For some time there has been a level of confusion about the boundary of the boat harbour and some people thought the land-based activities of the facility were separate to the harbour.

The Department wants people to know the wide range of activities available at Hillarys Boat Harbour.

Western Breakwater extension

Hillarys Boat Harbour is bound on the north and the south by rubble mound breakwaters. There was a significant gap between the ends of the Northern and Western Breakwaters and adverse sea state conditions have been penetrating through this gap into the harbour contributing to the deterioration of some of the jetties, in particular jetty E.

The breakwater has been extended by 75 metres providing greater protection for vessels moored in the harbour, which is one of the State's busiest maritime facilities.

The $650,000 extension also ensures that the funds spent replacing E Jetty were securely invested.

More than 14,000 tonnes of rock has been placed to form a protective layer for 12,000 cubic meters of small central core material.

Southern carpark modifications

This project improved access in the southern carpark for motorists, cyclists, pedestrians and for people in wheelchairs or with prams. Specific aims of the project were to:

  • Provide better traffic flows in the southern carpark.
  • Provide clearly defined pedestrian and cyclist routes into Hillarys Boat Harbour.
  • Improve universal access.
  • Upgrade lighting.
  • Minimise the loss of car parking bays.
  • Maintain access for service and delivery vehicles.
  • Improve amenity in the southern carpark.
  • Comply with relevant Australian standards and best practice to the greatest extent possible.

Replacement of E Jetty

The $1 million replacement of E-Jetty was a key element in the delivery of the four year Hillarys Boat Harbour Enhancement Program and provided penholders access to a new state-of-the-art facility.

E Jetty is the closest public jetty to the boat harbour entrance, and has experienced the brunt of the adverse wave climate within Hillarys Boat Harbour. Due to the adverse seastate conditions that penetrate through the entrance of Hillarys Boat Harbour, E Jetty was in a deteriorated condition.

To improve the wave climate within the harbour, the Western Breakwater extension was completed and has reduced the significant gap between the ends of the Northern and Western Breakwaters.

The desired outcome of the E jetty project is a jetty system and layout that:

  • Provides pen sizes that comply with user demand.
  • Is amendable to users - quality fittings and services, easy to access and moor vessels, etc.
  • Provides a safe environment for boat users and maintenance personnel.
  • Meets the requirement of relevant Australian Standards.
  • Enhances the appearance of the facility.
  • Incorporates the Department's strategy for low maintenance structures.
  • Has a viable lifespan.
  • Suits the prevailing conditions, specifically wave climate generated by weather and passing marine traffic.

The old concrete floating structure has been replaced with a jetty system made of polyethylene floats and decking and featuring a structural aluminium frame that requires minimal maintenance.

The design of the replacement jetty contains 48 pens, which increased the number of pens available to boat owners wanting to utilise the harbour.

Precinct Upgrade Project - stage 1 (completed)

Landscaping works: Northern access path

More than $330,000 was spent creating a new access path extending from Whitford Nodes near the new Department of Fisheries building to the end of the northern breakwater where the lighthouse and café are located.

The project, which was the first stage of the plan to upgrade the public recreation areas of the harbour, included the introduction of 19 car-parking bays at several locations along Northside Drive.

The project improves access for pedestrians and cyclists, to assist with traffic management and to improve presentation and lighting throughout the northern precinct.

The project more specifically aims to:

  • Provide safe pedestrian and cycle access to the northern breakwater, associated recreation areas including public fishing and viewing platforms and Spinnakers Café.
  • Minimise the incidence of informal car parking along the breakwater.
  • Minimise traffic circulation problems in the area.
  • Provide new pockets of formalised car parking.
  • Rehabilitate degraded dune vegetation.
  • Improve drainage.
  • Improve amenity and legibility surrounding new and existing car parks.

Precinct Upgrade Project - stage 2 (completed)

Ablutions upgrades beach toilets upgrade

Public toilets available underneath the Great Escape Leisure Park, have been refurbished and refitted to an upgraded standard. Three additional female toilets have also been provided.

KL penholders ablutions

The new ablution block located on the northern side of the harbour adjacent to the Department's boat sheds, provide the Department's northern penholders with secure shower and toilet facilities.

There are 107 public pens on this side of the harbour, at KL jetties.

By providing additional penholder ablutions near KL jetties, these penholders now have convenient access to a similar level of facilities to customers on the southern side of the harbour.

The separate male and female facilities include:

  • Two WCs for female and one WC for male and a urinal.
  • Two showers each for female and male.
  • Dry change and vanity areas.
  • Electronically locked doors, linked to the same security system as the pen system, with penholder key card access.

Boat ramp toilets

In addition to the upgrading of the beach toilets and the new KL ablutions the public boat ramp toilets located adjacent to the new KL ablutions have been refurbished.

Landscaping works

Stage 2 works were undertaken during winter and spring 2007 and included major landscaping and other general upgrades to public access areas of the harbour in particular the northern beach area and eastern entry plaza.

The work was designed to make the precinct more family friendly and increase picnic areas, barbecue facilities and other public amenities at the facility.

The development included the following major elements:

  • Hard landscaping (replace old paving, new street furniture and shade shelters, new paths and retaining walls).
  • Soft landscaping (trees, gardens).
  • Improved access to the internal harbour beaches and facilities.
  • Improved access for disabled across the harbour.
  • Improvements to harbour lighting.
  • Marine trail made of tiles, designed and made by local school children.
  • New cycle racks and beach showers
  • Provision for future Rotary Dolphin Wishing Well.
  • Signage and banners.

A popular part of Stage 2 was the construction of a public artwork that can be viewed from around the harbour. Local artists Jahne Rees and Liam Cole designed and built the structure.

Precinct Upgrade Project - stage 3 (completed)

Landscaping works

A continuation from Stage 2 works, Stage 3 provided major upgrades to the centre groyne, southern picnic and beach access areas. The works were completed in 2010.

Construction of W-Z Jetties

The Department of Transport constructed 44 new pens in the South-West corner of Hillarys Boat Harbour. Five of the new pens cater for the top end of the recreational market providing two 30 metre and three 35 metre pens.

Replacement of D Jetty

D Jetty was the most recent pen system to be replaced as part of the Department's asset replacement program.

The new system provided space for an additional four pens, catering for 20 metre vessels, added to D Jetty bringing the number of vessels accommodated there to 53.

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