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The first Aviair flights for the inter-regional air route connecting the Pilbara to the Kimberley have commenced today. The new flights are financially supported by the City of Karratha, the Shire of East Pilbara and Aviair.

Peter Ryan, Aviation Director Department of Transport(DoT) said the new flights will provide improved connections between the major towns in the Pilbara and Kimberley.

“It is great to see such a collaborative and positive approach taken by the City of Karratha, the Shire of East Pilbara, Aviair and regional airports, to get these new flights up and running,” Mr Ryan said.

DoT has been working with the parties involved, granting Aviair a monopoly licence to operate the air service.

The new Regular Public Transport (RPT) air service will include flights from Karratha to Port Hedland, Newman and Broome, and Newman to Port Hedland. Additionally, it is expected that services between Karratha and Paraburdoo will be in place shortly, with support of Rio Tinto.

DoT assisted the City of Karratha and Shire of East Pilbara in developing the tender for the route, as well as KPIs to help gauge demand, traveller profile and air service provider performance and will continue to provide support and technical advice on the new air route.

This is another example of action being taken as part of the recommendations from the Parliamentary Inquiry into Regional Airfares. Recommendation nine requests DoT engage with industry and local communities to examine the market opportunities for additional inter-regional routes within Western Australia.

“Having more connecting flights in the regions was a popular idea from the regional workshops held on the nine unregulated air routes, and this is a positive step to improving inter-regional connections in the State’s north,” Mr Ryan said.

Further opportunities for additional intra and inter-regional connections are continuing to be examined, as part of the State Aviation Strategy.

Media contact: media@transport.wa.gov.au

Commercial fishermen and the recreational boating community operating out of Tantabiddi near Exmouth have access to improved information about ocean conditions following the deployment of a new directional wave buoy off the coast.

Department of Transport (DoT) Manager Oceanographic Services Tony Lamberto said the new buoy, which records the direction of waves as well as the height, had been deployed approximately three nautical miles west of the Tantabiddi boat ramp.

The buoy, easily identified as a large yellow sphere surrounded by a steel frame and fitted with a two-metre antenna, will provide fishermen, boat owners and the wider community with comprehensive information about coastal conditions.

Mr Lamberto said skippers navigating in the area need to take extra care and no fishing was allowed within 100 metres of the buoy due to the risk of damage that could jeopardise the Tantabiddi wave data collection program.

He said the information from the buoy would significantly benefit the safety of those going to sea and provide long-term data to assist in the management of the coastline and also in the planning and design of coastal infrastructure.

“The initiative represents a significant improvement in the information available to skippers operating out of Tantabiddi. Now skippers can log on to DoT’s website at any time and immediately access near real time wave height and direction to better assess conditions off the coast,” Mr Lamberto said.

DoT introduced its first directional wave buoy off Rottnest in 2004 to provide more detailed information about conditions off the metropolitan coast.

Mr Lamberto said information from the new buoy off Tantabiddi would add to data already being received from DoT’s network of directional wave buoys located at Esperance, Albany, Cape Naturaliste, Mandurah, Cottesloe, Rottnest and Jurien.

“The quality and detail of the coastal data collected by the network is a valuable resource as it is used for coastal infrastructure planning and design, improved marine safety and maritime commercial and recreational activities,” Mr Lamberto said. 

“The information adds to the understanding of the wave climate off the coast to better manage the resource.”

People wanting to access near real time wave information can do so by visiting the Tide and wave data page.  

Media contact: media@transport.wa.gov.au

Work has commenced on the second phase of the $12.3 million Jetty Road causeway redevelopment at Casuarina Boat Harbour.

Department of Transport Director of Project Delivery Cameron Smith said the $5.8 million contract for Phase 2 work, awarded to WA company, Densford Civil Pty Ltd , would see the reconstruction of Jetty Road, increased parking with 164 bays, introduction of shared paths and landscaping, the construction of a multi-purpose building incorporating public toilets, and improvements to utility services in the area.

Earlier this year as part of the $3.5 million Phase 1 works contract an additional 31,000 tonnes of local rock was placed along the 600 metre causeway to improve protection during storm events. A further $3 million in project funding has been spent on investigations, design and project management.

Mr Smith said the Department continued to work to limit the impact of the project on the surrounding community and harbour users with restrictions and guaranteed access to boat pens on the causeway.

“Vehicle movements to and from the site will be restricted to operating between 7am to 6pm Monday to Friday and will finish at 5pm on Saturday. DoT’s on-site supervisor will work closely with the contractor to minimise noise and dust and vehicle speed has been capped at 40 kilometres per hour for increased community safety,” Mr Smith said.

“While there’s no access to the causeway beyond the jetties for the duration of the project, penholders will have dedicated parking close to the jetties and will be updated on the progress of works.”

The project, which is a key part of Stage 2 of the Transforming Bunbury’s Waterfront project, is due for completion later next year. Visit www.transport.wa.gov.au/jettyroadcauseway for more information about the project.

Media contact: media@transport.wa.gov.au