The first of the massive rocks that will create the new breakwaters at Ocean Reef Marina have today been lowered into place, marking a significant milestone in the construction of this world-class coastal destination.
Approximately 650,000 tonnes of limestone rock ranging from 0.5 to three tonnes each - and 300,000 tonnes of granite rock ranging from one to 10 tonnes each will eventually be laid in the water.
Construction will be carried out by two Western Australian businesses - WA Limestone and Italia Stone Group and is slated for completion between mid to late 2022.
Ultimately, the construction of the marina will create 8,600 construction jobs, with 56 of those responsible for the creation of the breakwaters.
During construction, a monitored 50-metre exclusion zone will be in place around the breakwaters to ensure the safety of the local boating community.
The two-kilometre-long breakwaters, each rising up to 18.5 metres from the ocean floor, will protect boats and users within the marina. The breakwaters will have a limestone core and be surrounded by granite to provide protection from the elements.
The limestone will be sourced from DevelopmentWA's Neerabup quarry, while the granite will predominately be sourced from WA company WA Bluemetal's Byford Quarry. Some granite and limestone from the existing breakwaters will also be reused.
Ocean Reef Marina is a State Government project being delivered by DevelopmentWA, in collaboration with the City of Joondalup.
As stated by Lands Minister Tony Buti:
"Ocean Reef Marina is at an exciting stage, and will really start to take shape in the coming months as the breakwater rocks are lowered into place.
"Local jobs are being created and local rocks are being used to build what will become Western Australia's premier recreational boating destination."
As stated by Joondalup MLA Emily Hamilton:
"This is an exciting moment for our local community with the next stage of the Ocean Reef Marina construction underway.
"Thousands of jobs will be generated by this iconic development, and some $3 billion will be injected into the WA economy - making it an important project for our State.
"This is a decades-in-the-making project that will deliver massive benefits to the local community with new facilities, recreational areas and job-generating businesses."
