WA business wins jetties work

A Mid West construction company will build two jetties on the Beacon and East Wallabi islands, as part of a $4.3 million state government project.

Both islands are located in the Houtman Abrolhos archipelago, which encompasses all unoccupied islands and parts of islands not occupied by commercial fishers and aquaculture operators.

The jetty works were awarded to Dongara-based In-Situ Construction and Maintenance.

Both jetties will become access points for visitors, while the East Wallabi Island jetty will also be an access point for a proposed operational base for the Department of Biodiversity Conservation and Attractions.

Construction will begin around December and is expected to complete by the first half of 2021.

The project forms part of the state government’s four-year, $13.8 million infrastructure and management package for the Houtman Abrolhos Islands.

The archipelago was almost entirely made into a national park last year.

Environment Minister Stephen Dawson said the government was ensuring the park’s heritage and biodiversity values were recognised and protected.

“One of the first steps in facilitating tourism on the islands is creating better access, and these two jetties are significant investments that will help put the Houtman Abrolhos Islands on the tourist map as a must-visit destination in Western Australia’s Mid West,” he said.

“Any tourism development on the islands will be managed in a way that ensures the unique environment and history, including any of the numerous shipwrecks sites, are protected.”

The heritage-listed Beacon Island is home to the 1690’s Batavia shipwreck.