In July 2018, it was announced by Shellharbour City Council and Frasers Property that the 270-berth Shellharbour Marina to be built as part of the prestigious Shell Cove development on the New South Wales South Coast would be constructed by renowned international marina builders, Walcon Marine.
The entire Shell Cove property development is the largest coastal tourism/residential/maritime development ever initiated by a local Government authority in Australia. The marina itself will be one of the largest and most ambitious leisure boat harbour developments in Australia in many years. The Shell Cove development is similar to the Frasers Property award-winning Port Coogee residential and maritime estate just south of Fremantle and Perth in which the centerpiece, Port Coogee Marina, was also constructed and installed by Walcon Marine in 2011.
The marina, to be known as Shellharbour Marina, with its two excavated harbour basins, ocean breakwaters, structured revetments and boardwalks, boat ramp, fuel pontoon, hard stand and other service pontoons will provide berths and moorings for over 300 boats up to 30 metres in length. It involves a investment of AU$150 million.
The new 460m breakwater and 280m groyne being built into the Pacific Ocean are now nearing completion. These structures, which required some 400,000 tonnes of various sizes of quarried rock, will provide a sheltered channel into the new outer and inner harbour basins which have mostly been excavated in readiness for flooding.
Taking the advantage of the presently dry harbour floor, Walcon Marine will commence installing the majority of the marina piling into the dry seabed in December/January. This will ensure that the works can be completed within a controlled environment. Piles will be steel tubular piles over which will be fitted HDPE sleeves. All piles and associated sleeves will be embedded into rock and fully protected from any possible acid sulphate soil contamination.
Using Walcon’s renowned System 2000 heavy-duty pontoons incorporating pre-cast concrete decks, the new floating marina berths will be installed in stages with the first 115 berths to be operational by late 2019.
All berths throughout the marina will be provided with modern power and water services using the Rolec Quantum service pedestals. Walcon Marine Australasia is the regional distributor for UK-based Rolec one of the world’s leading manufacturers of services to marinas and waterfront locations.
Walcon’s Australasian Director – Business, George Sofoulis, has committed Walcon to providing Shellharbour City Council and Frasers Property with a show-case marina of world standard and one of which they can be proud and which will fully satisfy the demands of today’s discerning boat owners. He said “The 143-berth marina Walcon Marine built for Frasers Property at its Port Coogee estate development in Western Australia achieved everyone’s objectives for a state-of-the-art marina facility and we will ensure the same outcome for Shellharbour Marina.”
Ian McAndrew, former MIA President and now Walcon Marine’s Senior Group Consultant, has had a long involvement and is very familiar with the Shell Cove project. Ian worked professionally in preparing the Demand Study for the project some 14 years ago and then with the project’s engineering consultants on marina design and dry-stack storage issues.
“I am really delighted after all these years to see Shellharbour Marina come into being” he said.
“We are also extremely proud that Walcon Marine has been selected to play this major role and we look forward to working with Shellharbour City Council, Frasers Property and the other Shellharbour Marina contractors and professionals in bringing this prestigious development into what I know will be successful operations in 2019” Mr McAndrew added.