Works on two breakwaters for the exciting Ocean Reef Marina project are underway, with quarrying of locally sourced limestone and granite commencing.
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 for protection from the elements.
Approximately 650,000 tonnes of limestone rocks - ranging from 0.5 to three tonnes each - and 300,000 tonnes of one to 10-tonne granite rocks will be delivered to the site from early March.
The large granite rocks are being quarried in Byford by Western Australian company WA Bluemetal Quarry, creating 10 new jobs.
The majority of limestone will be sourced locally from DevelopmentWA's Neerabup quarry, in turn unlocking up to 25 hectares of land for development in the neighbouring Meridian Park industrial estate.
This additional land unlocked at Meridian Park will support the creation of 550 ongoing local jobs, adding to the 8,600 construction and 900 ongoing jobs created by the Ocean Reef Marina development.
Some granite and limestone from the existing breakwater will also be reused.
The commencement of works follows extensive testing of the marina and breakwaters design, including the construction of a 1:55 scale model.
Construction of the breakwaters by two WA businesses - WA Limestone and Italia Stone Group - is expected to create an additional 56 jobs for Western Australians and commence in late March.
Ocean Reef Marina this week became the first mixed-use marina development in Australia to achieve accreditation under the Infrastructure Sustainability Council of Australia's Rating Scheme.
Recognised across Australia and New Zealand, the Infrastructure Sustainability Rating Scheme assesses the social, economic and environmental aspects of infrastructure projects through their planning, design, construction and operational phases.
Ocean Reef Marina has achieved Gold level accreditation - which marks the landmark project as a national leader in sustainable infrastructure development.
From the outset of planning the new Ocean Reef Marina, the State Government has remained strongly committed to delivering this iconic project in an environmentally responsible and sensitive way.
The marine component of the development has been the subject of the highest level of environmental assessment - a Public Environmental Review by the Environmental Protection Authority - which found the project would not have a significant impact on the environment.
Ocean Reef Marina is a State Government project being delivered by DevelopmentWA, in collaboration with the City of Joondalup.
As stated by Premier Mark McGowan:
"The start of the breakwater works marks an exciting new stage in the development of the Ocean Reef Marina.
"The landmark project is helping boost local businesses, with 94 WA companies already engaged to work on the project.
"The iconic precinct is expected to deliver a $3 billion boost to the Western Australian economy and support 8,600 construction jobs."
As stated by Lands Minister Ben Wyatt:
"Ocean Reef Marina is set to become Perth's, and Western Australia's, premier recreational boating destination.
"The gold-standard precinct will provide a new, exciting community hub for the northern suburbs, providing a significant boost to the local community and delivering thousands of local jobs."
As stated by Joondalup MLA Emily Hamilton:
"The Infrastructure Sustainability Council of Australia's gold accreditation for the Ocean Reef Marina confirms the landmark project as a national leader in sustainable infrastructure development.
"The McGowan Government has worked hard to deliver on its commitment to start work on this decades-in-the-making project and I can't wait to see community facilities, like Perth's first ocean pool, come to fruition."
