Tender awarded for construction of Geraldton tourism jetty at The Esplanade

Plans for a jetty in Geraldton for tourism operators has hit a new milestone, with a tender awarded to a company for the project. Tourism operators have said the jetty would be a major boost for the viability of tourism to the Abrolhos Islands, but one owner has said he is concerned there has been a lack of consultation. The announcement has also fuelled more debate about when or if a public jetty will be built for Geraldton. The Mid West Ports Authority has announced it has awarded a tender to SMC Marine to construct a jetty on The Esplanade, It comes after a $3 million plan for two jetties to be built in Geraldton was announced in 2020 by the State Government. Eco Abrolhos owner Jay Cox said the tourism jetty would build a stronger link between Geraldton and the Abrolhos, as large charter boats going to the Abrolhos would be more easily able to go back and forth from Geraldton. “A lot of the bigger boats can’t get into Geraldton because there’s no where to put them, so Geraldton obviously needs something like that,” he said. “It will bring more people to Geraldton, because they know they will able to go out to the Abrolhos.” Abrolhos Island Charters owner Dave McShane said it was a positive step forward. “Anything they can do to promote tourism and make it more viable is fantastic,” he said. However Mr McShane said he felt his business hadn’t been well consulted or informed about the project so far, and organisers seemed to only talking with a small handful of operators. “They’re not really seeking information from anyone else … to be honest I think it could be better organised,” he said. City of Greater Geraldton Mayor Shane Van Styn said the jetty would help make day trips to the Abrolhos a reality, and could also open up other options for tourism and entertainment. “Overall it’s not just about allowing larger ships to come and go, it might also allow some larger vessels to offer a new way of being entertained or cruising up and down Geraldton coast, or even when tied up,” he said. The jetty will be limited to licensed tourism operators and is designed for boats longer than 25m. Plans for a second jetty are still ongoing, according to a spokesperson for Port Minister Rita Saffioti, with construction set to start during the 2023-24 financial year. Mr Van Styn and Federal MP for Durack Melissa Price have been vocal supporters of a campaign to build a public jetty in Geraldton. “We’d still like to see a jetty constructed that would be able to cater for smaller craft, residents and people who want to fish off it,” Mr Van Styn said. “It is good to see the State Government has finally announced the funding of a commercial jetty,” Ms Price said. “I would love to see a similar commitment to a recreational a jetty for our very deserving community.” News of the tender for the tourism jetty comes around the time that the owners of prominent tour operator, Abrolhos Adventures, decided to close down the business because of, among other reasons, a lack of infrastructure on the islands.