Main points:
- New wheelchair and pram-friendly ramp has been installed at Coogee Beach Jetty
- The ramp is about 70 per cent closer to the water’s edge than the original accessway
- The $450,000 improvement is the result of community feedback to the City from people having trouble accessing the beach using the old ramp.
A new wheelchair and pram-friendly ramp has been installed at Coogee Beach Jetty, improving access to the shoreline just in time for the busy warmer months.
The City of Cockburn began the $450,000 project in March following community feedback from people having trouble accessing the beach using the old ramp in the dunes.
Many beachgoers, especially older swimmers with mobility challenges and people who use wheelchairs and prams, will now find it easier to reach the waterline as the new ramp is about 70 per cent closer to the water’s edge than the original accessway.
The new ramp is fully accessible via a sealed pathway, unlike the previous ramp which ended high on the beach with users having to struggle across several metres of beach sand to reach the shore.
The ramp’s ‘dog leg’ design allows maintenance and safety vehicles to pass underneath the jetty. The ramp also has a long flat platform at the end which will remain buried most of the time but keeps the structure connected to the beach in the event of future erosion.
City of Cockburn Head of Sustainability and Environment Chris Beaton said Coogee Beach and its jetty were very popular, especially during summer when thousands of people from near and far enjoyed visiting the coastal attractions.
“This is why improving access to both the jetty and beach for people of all abilities was a priority for the City,” Mr Beaton said.
“It is also central to many popular events in Cockburn, such as Coogee Live and the Australia Day Coogee Beach Festival.”
The jetty is an iconic feature at Coogee Beach, which was named the thirteenth best beach in the country by Tourism Australia earlier this year, the only Perth metropolitan beach to be recognised in the prestigious accolade.
The jetty is also undergoing a separate $140,000 refurbishment with completion due in November.
Maintenance and renewal work to the existing jetty structure includes refurbishing the timber deck and repairing paint coatings on the steelwork.
The ramp and refurbishment projects will reduce ongoing jetty maintenance fees and the cost of removing sand build-up around the old access ramp.
The original Coogee Jetty was built in the 60s and rebuilt by the City in 2000.