The City's response to PerthNow about communication with Omeo shipwreck climbers, 13.3.26
Question: Who patrols the beach and uses the megaphones? How many people?
Answer: Currently 14 trained and registered City of Cockburn Coogee Maritime Trail Volunteers use the megaphones. Their role is to provide community education about the trail’s history, while helping protect the Omeo shipwreck by promoting responsible behaviour, including not touching or climbing on the historic wreck.
Question: What do they actually say into the megaphone? Is there a script?
Answer: Yes, there is a script and megaphone etiquette is provided during training. For example, ‘Good morning snorkellers. This is the City of Cockburn. Can those of you standing/ climbing on the wreck please get off. Thank you.’
Question: How does the process actually work – are they able to use megaphones freely throughout the patrol time periods? Is there a limit per day? Do they stand on the beach and watch the wreck?
Answer: Volunteers use the megaphone seven days a week between hours of 7am-1pm Monday to Saturday, and 9am-1pm on Sundays. There is no limit per day. They stand on the foreshore near the access stairs where visibility of the wreck is best.
Question: What behaviour warrants megaphone communication?
Answer: The City is committed to implementing appropriate measures to safeguard the cultural heritage and significance of the Omeo shipwreck and the Coogee Maritime Trail.
The Omeo shipwreck is a key feature and major attraction of the broader Coogee Maritime Trail. It provides a refuge for various marine species and is an accessible underwater museum for visitors.
The Omeo shipwreck is a historically significant and a Federally protected attraction and standing on or taking parts from the wreck without a permit is an offence under the Commonwealth Underwater Cultural Heritage Act 2018.
Despite prior and ongoing initiatives to educate the local community and visitors about responsible snorkelling and recreational activities, managing incidents involving climbing on the wreck, or people removing items from the site remains a challenge.
In response to this issue, the City is trialling the use of megaphones by volunteers to communicate with people who are mistreating the shipwreck.
Question: What has the community/beachgoer feedback been?
Answer: Community consultation on communication with users at the Omeo shipwreck at
Comment on Cockburn is open until 22 April. A full report will be completed at the end of the season.
Visitors have responded generally positively to the use of the megaphone and usually move off the wreck, although it can occasionally be hard to hear the megaphone on windier days.
Question: Is the megaphone communication successful so far at reducing damage to the wreck? i.e. numbers of people climbing have gone down?
Answer: It is too early to determine if the megaphone is reducing numbers of visitors negatively interacting with the wreck. This strategy will need to be implemented over a few years to determine a level of change.
Anecdotally the number of visitors witnessed climbing on the wreck has reduced over the two years of the volunteer program in general, however the impact of the megaphone is currently undetermined.
More importantly, use of the megaphone is a learning moment each time it is used for all visitors onsite. It supports the City’s commitment in partnership with the WA Museum to protect the wreck.
Question: Are there any other trials/actions the City is taking (or may do in future) to protect the wreck?
Answer: The Coogee Maritime Trail Volunteer Program welcomes more volunteers each year to educate the community about the trail and Cockburn Coast.
This program is combined with schools education in partnership with Perth NRM Adopt a Beach, social media, and on ground interpretive signage. All of these initiatives support protection of the marine environment including the Omeo Shipwreck.
The City reviews the program each year in collaboration with the WA Museum to ensure best practice education for sustainability along the coastline. There are no other trials planned at this stage.
Question: Would this megaphone potentially be ongoing past April 20 if successful?
Answer: Once the community consultation period has concluded, a report will be finalised by the City’s Community Engagement team. If supported by the community it will be included as a permanent education tool in the seasonal program.