Carnarvon One Mile Jetty

The Department of Transport (DoT) in consultation with project partners (Carnarvon Heritage Group, Shire of Carnarvon, Gascoyne Development Commission), has developed a stepped process for community groups and others to access the timbers recovered from the deconstructed section of the One Mile Jetty.

Before applying for access to the salvaged timber consider what type and size timber you require by reviewing the Timber Grading Matrix and Salvaged Timber Catalogue. The Grading Matrix refers to a visual grading of the condition, integrity and authenticity of the material, not its structural capacity. The Salvaged Timber Catalogue provides information on condition, grading and volumes.

• Please see Grading Matrix (attachment 1) and Salvaged Timber Catalogue (attachment 2) below.

Ideas for repurposing timber

To determine the best possible re-use of the timbers from deconstruction, the DoT completed community consultation to gather ideas and suggestions. Through engagement, a number of ideas and suggestions have been strongly supported by the community. These include street furniture projects (seating, shelter etc); interpretation (signage etc) and art and cultural projects.

Access by the community for keepsake memorabilia timber or small community projects are also encouraged and will be considered in the applications process.

• Please see Community Engagement Summary Report (attachment 3) below.

Timber grading

Grade 1 & 2 Timbers

It is intended to retain a proportion of the highest-grade material (particularly stringer beams and half caps) to re-use in future repair and/or interpretation projects to the remaining standing portion of the One Mile Jetty. A quantity of material will be retained onsite by the Carnarvon Heritage Group and kept secure for this purpose.

Community groups may also express their interest in access to Grade 1 and 2 material for a specific public project, at no cost. Timber for private projects will need to be purchased. The Assessment Panel will consider requests based on the number of expressions of interest and availability. 

Grade 3

Grade 3 material primarily consists of stringer beams, historic piles, replacement piles and deck planks / deck boards. There is also a quantity of railway beams, half caps, handrails, kerb rails and balustrade posts. 

The timber is generally in fair to poor condition, cut down or damaged lengths of the original timber fabric. In recognising the heritage value of the timber, it will be made available to the community and intended for small scale domestic use and community use.

Community groups may apply for access to Grade 3 material at no cost, for a specific public project. Private projects will require timber purchase.

Expressions of Interest for Grade 1, 2 or 3 grade timber to complete the Expression of Interest (EOI) Application Form, which will be assessed by the Assessment Panel.

• Please see the EOI application for One Mile Jetty salvaged timber form (attachment 4) below.

Grade 4

It is recognised that the majority of the Grade 4 material has limited re-use opportunities and that it is not desirable for this material to be stored long term at the site. The Carnarvon Heritage Group retains the right to distribute this material. Assessment Panel will not require an Expression of Interest form to be completed.

The CHG will offer a 6x4 trailer load of this material for $100 (loaded).  

• Please see Assessment Panel Disposal Policy (attachment 5) below for further detail. 

Timber disposal - how to apply 

1. Download the Application Form below
2. Outline the project and community benefits and submit to the DoT portal for assessment 
3. Application is referred to Panel including DoT, Shire of Carnarvon, Carnavon Heritage Group and GDC.
4. Application is assessed on its merits and against criteria. The panel votes and decision is agreed.
5. Timber is made available for collection by applicants.

The heritage listed Carnarvon One Mile Jetty originally extended approximately 1450 metres out to sea from Babbage Island on the southern side of the Gascoyne River mouth.

The jetty has been closed to the public since 2017 due to the significant risk to public safety. The Carnarvon Heritage Group is the custodian of the structure. 

Pic: One Mile Jetty Stage 1: Emergency deconstruction and timber salvage.

Seas and swell during Cyclone Seroja on 11 April 2021, coupled with storm surge, destroyed approximately 360 metres of the jetty. Further sections suffered considerable damage and are at risk of collapsing during another major storm event.

The Department commissioned an independent inspection of the jetty and report on the extent of damage from Cyclone Seroja. The report determined that One Mile Jetty suffered irreparable damage to approximately 360 metres of the jetty structure. The report recommended the section of jetty between Pier 71 and Pier 245 (jetty head) be urgently deconstructed.

The Department is responsible for ensuring marine safety in WA. Following Cyclone Seroja a large quantity of timber entered the water creating a danger to navigation, and further storm events will likely result in more flotsam and hazards to navigation. 

Following the report, the Shire of Carnarvon, Carnarvon Heritage Group and the Department of Transport agreed that addressing safety risks was the key priority.

One Mile Jetty and Heritage Precinct

The Department is leading Stage 1 of this project. Stage 1 works involve emergency deconstruction and salvation of the jetty from the intertidal section onwards (Pier 117 - 245) as well as recovering timbers that are hazards to safe navigation.  Salvaged timbers from the jetty may be used in Stage 2 of the project.

Stage 2 will see the first 400 metres of the jetty rebuilt (Piers 1 - 71) with State Government funding of $4.5 million.

In addition, since the cyclone the Department has:

• Issued a Temporary Notice to Mariners to make boaters aware of the hazard.
• Activated a daily high frequency (HF) marine radio warning.
• Implemented temporary speed restrictions for waters around Carnarvon to limit the risk of collisions between vessels and debris.
• Undertaken a hydrographic survey using a high resolution multi beam to locate timbers on the seabed.
• Established an ongoing monitoring program to identify and locate jetty timbers that have separated.
• Engaged a heritage consultant to prepare a Heritage Impact Statement.

Deconstruction 

Partial deconstruction of the One Mile Jetty was required following further damage to the structure during Cyclone Seroja. The Jetty was removed from the sea backwards to land, up to Pier 114 (correct as of July 2022). This deconstruction addressed a significant safety risk to watercraft from detached timbers.  Any future deconstruction of the jetty is dependant on a core piling exercise, which will determine the structural integrity of the remaining landside jetty component.  This is expected to occur in dryer conditions following winter 2022.

Please report timbers found on the beach or in the water by contacting DoT on 0427 099 207.

The Carnarvon One Mile Jetty is included on the State Register of Heritage Places and is therefore subject to the protection of the Heritage Act 2018. Special care and consideration will be taken in the salvage and removal process to protect the heritage fabric. A heritage architect has been engaged and there will be close liaison with the Carnarvon Heritage Group and the Gascoyne Development Commission. 

The Department will work closely with the Carnarvon Heritage Group with the retrieval, sorting and storage of salvaged material to ensure possible future use of the material. Any suitable timbers, including those recovered from the deconstructed section, will be used to refurbish and revitalise the preserved section of the jetty adjacent to the heritage precinct.

Your assistance would be appreciated in recovering floating timbers and alerting other water users to dangers. Please report floating timbers as soon as possible to Tony McCann, Manager Operations and Projects on 0427 099 207.

Further, for marine incidents including any near miss events please complete an incident report form: Contact Maritime.

• Temporary Notice to Mariners: Gascoyne notices 
• Coastal data and downloadable chart: WA982 Carnarvon