Joanna Tucker, Yorke Peninsula Country Times
Berth owners at the Copper Cove Marina, Wallaroo, have agreed to fund major mooring upgrades, totalling $800,000.
Voting at a general meeting of berth owners and residents on February 19 was almost unanimous to privately fund the project.
The team behind the project, the Marina Working Group, is headed by presiding officer Scott Young, who said the project was fully financed by marina berth owners.
Work is set to start in May and be completed in three months, pending Copper Coast Council approval.
Mr Young said the project had progressed to the building approval stage and he expected final approval soon.
It will include 48 piles to be installed and attached to walkways and pontoons with pile guide brackets.
Copper Coast Council planning, building and compliance manager Rebecca Kitschke said a development application for 48 black steel support piles with white caps for existing pontoons had been lodged with council.
Mooring upgrades at Wallaroo
Two South Australian companies are involved in the project: Magryn Engineering Consultants of SA, and MH Engineering and Consulting, which specialises in marina design and construction.
Mr Young said the project had been in the works for around 18 months.
“We have completed many hours of meetings with engineers, consultants, builders, dive teams, surveyors, local and State Government and marina berth owners and residents,” Mr Young said.
“We’ve kept owners, local council and State Government informed of our activities, which is important to ensure all parties and ideas are considered and any issues resolved amicably for the benefit of everyone.”
Mr Young said residents and visitors could expect to see machinery at the marina during a three-month period, once works began in May.
“Passers-by can expect to see some impressive machinery in use by the marina builder — a barge with a 22-tonne impact hammer to drive steel piles into the seabed, a crane to load the barge with piles, storage area and a site office,” he said.
“Noise will be kept to a minimum using noise baffles.”Â
This article appeared in Yorke Peninsula Country Times, 4 March 2025.
