Team arrives to repair wall

Emergency work to repair Marlston Waterfront’s deteriorating sea wall is under way with an expert team from Queensland arriving in Bunbury.

Bunbury City Council a fortnight ago declared the situation an emergency after major cracks were discovered in the waterfront’s boardwalk, sparking fears the sea wall would collapse and bring down a building.

The council was forced to look interstate for a company with the experience and capacity to carry out restoration works and while the team had a few delays getting to the city, it arrived on Friday.

The team mobilised a big drill rig from Brisbane to pump concrete under the boardwalk, which is now closed to the public.

City of Bunbury engineer and civil operations manager Shaun Millen said there was no immediate danger.

“I don’t think the building is in jeopardy ... but obviously if the wall falls away, it exposes the building,” Mr Millen said.

He said it was understood the ebb and flow of the tide over time played a part in the wall’s deterioration and the work was unlikely to be a permanent solution.

“What we want to do is just give ourselves some breathing space, so we can go away and do a proper investigation,” he said.

The council has allocated $375,000 in emergency expenditure for the repair work.

All businesses at the waterfront precinct remain open.