Port Geographe Project Officially Opened

Transport Minister Dean Nalder today officially opened Port Geographe reconfiguration project in Busselton.

The completion of the $28.15 million reconfiguration of coastal structures will offer a positive future for the environment, recreation and housing in the area.

At the opening today, Minister Nalder said that the State Government’s significant investment at Port Geographe had provided the right setting for the area to reach its full potential.

“We saw great co-operation with the City of Busselton, The University of Western Australia (UWA) and local residents to complete this project,” Mr Nalder said.

The 18-month project involved modifying the western breakwater, removing beach groynes, building a sea wall and a new channel entrance to the marina, forming a lagoon beach and adding landscaped recreation spaces.

In 2012, after extensive research, investigation, modelling and testing, UWA experts recommended changes to the coastal structures to address seagrass and sediment accumulation.

The coastal adjustment works, together with normal variations in winter weather patterns, means the project will need to be monitored and assessed over several seasons.

Fact File

• About 250,000 tonnes of rock was repositioned from the original structures and about 30,000 tonnes of new rock material added;
• About 130,000 cubic meters of material was dredged for the formation of the new entrance channel;
• Aigle Royal Developments recently announced a planned 10-year release of 650 residential and canal lots near the site and estimates land sales will generate $200 million over the duration of the development;
• An environmental management and monitoring plan includes ongoing coastal engineering advice, inspections and management at Port Geographe.

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