Nestled between the rainforest and the sea, close to the tourism and sailing mecca of Airlie Beach and the internationally acclaimed Whitsunday Islands, the deep natural inlet of Shute Harbor has been a thriving port since the early 1960’s. However, the facility was extensively damaged by Tropical Cyclone Debbie in March 2017 and lay in […]
Nestled between the rainforest and the sea, close to the tourism and sailing mecca of Airlie Beach and the internationally acclaimed Whitsunday Islands, the deep natural inlet of Shute Harbor has been a thriving port since the early 1960’s.
However, the facility was extensively damaged by Tropical Cyclone Debbie in March 2017 and lay in a state of disrepair, until commencement of the Shute Harbour Redevelopment Project in January 2020.
The overall $63.5 million restoration project has seen a complete rebuild of the seawall, terminal, pontoons and carpark at the Shute Harbour marine facility.
The new seawall has raised the level of the entire facility and carpark by an extra metre for greater resilience to storm surge in the future.
Due to the extreme geotechnical conditions present, the terminal building was constructed on a concrete wharf which was founded on top of fifty-eight 800mm diameter steel piles, to avoid the settlement expected from the underlying marine muds which were up to eight metres thick. The rock seawall was constructed on top of a geofabric layer, which was stitched between the steel piles using underwater diving operations.
The seawall was significantly upgraded from the original seawall to provide resilience from future cyclonic events.
The Shute Harbour Marine Terminal boasts three finger pontoons suitable for use by commercial ferries, private yachts & tour boats, along with a diesel & ULP fuel facility, carpark and recreational fishing jetty.
From 1 December 2021, tours and ferry services began operating from the Shute Harbour Marine Terminal.
The Terminal Building is the central hub for tourists disembarking on ferries to the Whitsunday Islands or booking tours with the local operators, and contains check-in counters and a baggage system compliment the operations, along with retail space, café area and alfresco seating.
The upper level of the Terminal Building contains a departure lounge and office space for the facility operators with floor-to-ceiling windows maximising the picturesque views of the Shute Harbour inlet and Whitsunday Islands.
Eligible works received joint funding from the Commonwealth and State Governments under the Natural Disaster Relief and Recovery Arrangements (NDRRA).
