Tenders for Gascoyne stromatolite boardwalk replacement due in mid-2025 as engineers begin design process

The tender to replace a major tourism attraction in the Gascoyne will not be released until later this year, more than four years after it was destroyed by cyclone Seroja. In April 2021, Seroja tore through the Mid West and wiped out the 1996-built timber boardwalk located at Hamelin Pool, 27km from the North West Coastal Highway in the Shark Bay World Heritage Area. The boardwalk allowed tourists and visitors to view unique stromatolite formations but the beach has been fenced off and closed to the public to protect the site since. Last year, after the Opposition called on the State Government to deliver funds to improve tourism income in the region, $4.6 million was allocated to replace the boardwalk. Last month, a Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions spokesperson confirmed engineers had not been chosen to commence the design process, but a contract was due to be awarded by the end of the year and a tender for construction would go out later this year. “Concept designs for the Hamelin Pool boardwalk have been completed,” the spokesperson said. “It’s expected that the tender for construction will be advertised in mid-2025.” Previously, Member for North West Central Merome Beard said the stromatolites were a vitally important tourism link for the Shire of Shark Bay and about half of the 40,000 people who visited the site in 2023 said they were disappointed. “The region has missed out on significant tourism income and received negative reputational damage because people have not been able to view the stromatolites — an ecological wonder many travel across the world to visit,” she said. “Prior to Seroja, there were around 130,000 visitors to Hamelin Pool, with numbers at the adjacent caravan park well down.” The funding came after global agency UNESCO confirmed it was not informed of the damage until after 2021, and would write to the State Government requesting more information about the matter.