Whyalla foreshore project creates local jobs and improves quality of life

With over 300 days of sunshine per year, Whyalla in South Australia is a beautiful coastal town, boasting spectacular landscapes and scenic views along a vast coastline. Having long been considered a steel town, Whyalla needed to turn its focus to the shore.

“The vision for the Whyalla Foreshore Development encouraged the creation of a place that connects all of the experiences special to Whyalla, a need to shift the focus of visitors and residents to the beach, while creating strong connections to the rest of the city,” said Chief Executive Oficer of the City of Whyalla, Philip Cameron.

With $731,000 from the Regional and Local Community Infrastructure Program (RLCIP), the City of Whyalla commenced a total overhaul of the foreshore.

Barbeques were installed, along with pedestrian pathways, shade structures, street furniture, electrical infrastructure and beach access ramps.

“The foreshore redevelopment also gave us an opportunity to create 20 jobs during the RLCIP construction stage. We used local labourers and contractors, and look forward to the steady increase in jobs that comes with boosted tourism numbers,” Mr Cameron explained.

In order to provide the Whyalla community with precisely the kind of facilities needed, an extensive 18 month consultation was undertaken. Some of the fundamental amenities requested during consultation included the need for a cleaner beach, new shade shelters, a renovated kiosk and more foreshore activities aimed at youths.

“The community consultation involved meeting with the public as well as key stakeholders, public displays in high profile areas as well as media articles,” said Mr Cameron.

Being an environmentally conscious development, the foreshore project purchased barbeques which consume 70 per cent less energy than previous models. The foreshore is illuminated by energy saving compact fluorescent lighting, and the outdoor irrigation system had been replaced with the latest energy efficient subsurface irrigation which uses substantially less water.

With the improvements to the foreshore, Council is hoping that it will be a catalyst in attracting people to visit the area and improve the City’s image with the aim of enticing people to consider Whyalla as a favourable place to reside.  

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