Feature image by Whyalla City Council
Whyalla’s brand new, unique jetty is set to give the Spencer Gulf town a new tourism drawcard.
Built by Maritime Constructions, which is based in Port Adelaide, the jetty has continued construction over the past few months.
After the old 122m jetty was destroyed by fire, the new, design-focused structure has leveled things up significantly, after the community was involved in the selection of the concept.
The new jetty provides an additional 38m length-wise, and if you include the circumference of the loop, it has a further 150m of walking distance compared to the old jetty.
Altogether, that means the new jetty is a total of 315m. Not a bad loop if you’re going for a stroll.
The budget for this jetty design was $7.8 million dollars, with the State Government contributing $1 million and GFG donating $300k of steel.
The Whyalla Council contributed the remaining $6.5 million.
As the new jetty has been designed for the community to use, disabled access has been a key design requirement right from the start. A 45m access ramp is being built to Australia standards and is still under construction.
They have also allowed for open sections of jetty for children and people in wheelchairs to admire the view.
There are 6 locations around the exterior of the jetty, which have sliding sleeves on the top handrail sections for children or the disabled to fish from. There’s also shade spots at various spots, giving visitors plenty of places to stop and enjoy the view.
As for the centre loop – no, it’s not going to be a swimming enclosure just in case you were wondering. The existing dedicated swimming enclosure inside the marina remains open for use.
The futuristic loop of the jetty at night can be attributed to the amazing lighting design. The jetty has bespoke lighting installed inside the top handrail. Each 500mm of handrail has a 50mm LED pod around the entire length of interior and exterior balustrade.
And the result? Well it’s sleek, modern, and absolutely photogenic.
So next time you’re planning a road trip to the Eyre Peninsula, make sure Whyalla is on your list of destinations. And don’t forget your camera!
https://www.whyalla.sa.gov.au/
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