Published 22 September 2026
At the Ordinary Council Meeting on 29 September 2026, Council will consider Agenda Item 10.5.2 – Marlston Jetty Removal. The item is currently before Council for consideration. No decision has been made regarding the future of Marlston Jetty. Any recommendations contained within the agenda report remain subject to Council deliberation and formal resolution. The community will be advised of the outcome once Council has considered the matter.
Located on the Marlston Waterfront at Bonnefoi Boulevard, Marlston Jetty is one of Bunbury's marine assets, alongside seven other local jetties.
Background
Marlston Jetty was built in 2003 by LandCorp as part of the Bunbury Harbour City – Marlston Hill development, then gifted to the City of Bunbury. It was designed for short-term mooring, with a low deck for boats up to 15 metres. The jetty is located on a stretch of the waterfront exposed to weather from the north, and storms in 2018 and 2019 caused significant damage and the jetty has been largely closed since 2019.
Emergency works were done in 2019, but the jetty did not reopen because the seawall it attaches to was also damaged. A major refurbishment was finished in 2022. The jetty closed again soon after when the City found the structure was no longer held to the seawall well enough to support moored boats.
In 2024, the City engaged specialist marine engineers to design an alternative. That concept stands free of the seawall and lifts the deck to handle storms and big tides better. However, the due to its location the jetty will continue to be exposed to the predominant waves across that part of the waterfront and so will be unsafe for mooring in some conditions. Its location next to a designated ski area also exposes moored boats to wake from ski boats using the zone.
To fund the detailed design for that concept, the City applied twice to the State Government's Recreational Boating Facilities Scheme (RBFS) – Round 29 and Round 30. Both applications were declined.
Community engagement
The City consulted the community from 14 August to 1 September 2025 to seek the community’s views on the restoration and use of the jetty – and to support the round 30 funding application. 105 surveys were completed. Key findings:
- 63 of 105 respondents said they would be open to a jetty in another location if funding could not be secured, with 26 unsure and 16 opposed.
- 86 per cent had used the jetty before, and 77 per cent had used it for boating or fishing. 79 per cent were recreational boaters or closely connected to recreational boating.
- 84 per cent said restoring the jetty mattered to them.
What Council is considering on 29 September 2026
The Department of Transport and Major Infrastructure has advised that the project is unlikely to be considered under the RBFS program in its current form. With no grant available, Council now needs to decide what happens to the structure.
At the Ordinary Council Meeting on 29 September 2026, Council will consider Item 10.5.2 – Marlston Jetty Removal. The recommendation in the agenda report comes from City officers, and Council may accept it, change it, defer it or decide something different. Anything in the report stays subject to Council debate and a formal vote.
There are two options before Council:
Option 1 – remove the jetty
The City has a quotation of $210,000 (excluding GST) to remove and dispose of the structure. Removal would not rule out a jetty in a different location, if a suitable site and a funding source are found later.
Option 2 – modify the existing structure
This would turn the jetty into a smaller mooring facility for watercraft of about eight to 12 metres. The design would lift the deck height and remove the structure's dependence on the seawall.
Detailed design is estimated at $200,000. That stage includes the ground testing needed to work out how extra piles can be installed. Construction cannot be costed reliably until design is finished, but the current high-level estimate is more than $800,000 – giving a total above $1,000,000.
Frequently Asked Questions
The City has facilities at Sykes Foreshore and Stirling Street.
Casuarina Boat Harbour has recently been upgraded, including the boat ramp and trailer parking. The State Government has confirmed funding for a major expansion starting in 2027, with 54 extra berthing pens and an accessible fishing platform.
It is not secured to the adjoining seawall well enough to support moored boats. Its design also makes it very open to storm damage, and the substructure costs more to maintain as it ages.
The first issue is wave motion. The predominant waves across that part of the waterfront make a moored boat, at times, unsafe to leave tied up. The second is boat wake. The jetty sits next to a designated ski area, so boats moored there are exposed to wake from ski boats using the zone. The 2025 Aquatic Use Review for Koombana Bay and Bunbury Waterways, carried out by the Department of Transport and Major Infrastructure, raised concerns about the jetty sitting close to the designated ski area and the risk of collision that creates.
Marine engineers found the whole structure sits too low. Most of it is in the tidal immersion zone rather than the splash zone, which means too much timber sits in water and large steel sections are moved by wave action. The jetty also depends on the seawall, and engineers have said it may be adding to damage to the limestone blocks. Its design leaves it very open to storms from the north. It has been out of action for most of the past six years and, despite the 2022 works, is closed because it is no longer sound for watercraft.
Round 29 – feedback was that the application did not clearly set out how the jetty would be used or the benefits for recreational boaters. Because the jetty had been out of service for years, the bid needed evidence of complaints about the closure and support from boating users for a new jetty here. As a result of this feedback the City conducted community engagement to support another application.
Round 30 – the project was not recommended for funding because of its limited value as a recreational boating destination, with nearby boat launch facilities giving practical alternatives.
The Department of Transport and Major Infrastructure has advised the project is unlikely to be considered under the RBFS program.
No. Over the past decade the jetty has needed work far more often than a jetty of its age normally would. This has included two major refurbishments, minor refurbishments, and emergency repairs after storm events. The faults that closed the jetty are in its design and its location, not about how well the jetty has been looked after.