You Are Here : Home / Services/ Major Projects / Walmanyjun Cable Beach Foreshore Redevelopment

Walmanyjun Cable Beach Foreshore Redevelopment

Central terraces cable beach redevelopment

Stage 1 Construction FAQs

April 2024 - December 2024

Stage 1 of the Walmanyjun/Cable Beach Foreshore Redevelopment is well underway, with car park and drainage works behind the Broome Surf Club completed in March 2024.

This paved the way for the construction works between April 2024 and December 2024, which will mostly take place around the Surf Club.

What work is being carried out?

The work will include the installation of Stage 1 elements, including:

Replacing the existing ramp and beach stairs near the Surf Club to make them safer and more accessible
Installing a new lookout
Laying the basketball court
Installing skate elements
Improving the trailhead into Minyirr Park.
Coastal protection works on the sand dunes to better protect them from erosion and storm surges
Landscaping the car park behind the surf club and installing new lighting
Replacing the beach access stairs near Zanders.
Landscaping, with all plants grown from local seeds.

With most of the work centred on the area behind the Surf Club, it will largely be business as usual around the popular foreshore area the north, which includes the area near the Cable Beach House restaurant (formerly Zanders), the lawns and amphitheatre, and the car park.

How will the work impact the Cable Beach foreshore area?

Most of the work centred on the area behind the Surf Club.

This means it will largely be business as usual around the popular foreshore area the north, which includes the area near the Cable Beach House restaurant (formerly Zanders), the lawns and amphitheatre, and the car park, meaning you can still dine at Cable Beach House, enjoy picnics and watch Broome's magnificent sunsets.

What about the beach and beach access?

The work will have minimal impact on Cable Beach itself. However there will be changes to beach access until December 2024.

Primary pedestrian access to the beach will be stairs approximately 90m north the restaurant next to the play ground.
There will be no public beach access from the Surf Club during the ramp and stair works.
Beach access via the stairs in front the restaurant will also be closed for rebuilding.
The vehicle ramp will remain open, but subject to usual restrictions and events.

Will people with a disability be able to access the beach?

One of the reasons for the Walmanyjun Cable Beach Foreshore Redevelopment is to make this popular destination more accessible as current facilities are not ideal.

We will have similar arrangements to those operated from the Surf Club prior to the Stage 1 work commencing.

West Coast Water Safety, which provides the Lifeguard service on Cable Beach, will provide a beach buggy service for people with physical disabilities who cannot use the stairs. The pick-up point will be near the ACROD parking places next to the restaurant.

Call the Cable Beach Lifeguards at 0447 668 300 to arrange for this service when you arrive.

Please note, as before, that the service is only available when the WCWS lifeguards are on duty. Delays may occur if the lifeguards are busy with other responsibilities.

Beach and Aquatic Wheelchair Loan

The Shire of Broome, in partnership with the Disability Services Commission (DSC), is pleased to provide a beach wheelchair on Cable Beach. More information on hiring the beach wheelchair can be viewed here.

Surf Club access

During the works, Surf Club access will be either the foreshore path between the Club and Restaurant. or a new temporary path from the Surf Club car park, depending on what work is being carried out at the time.

Once completed there will be a whole new entrance to the Surf Club which will include an access ramp.

The Surf Club car park will be partially open while resurfacing works are carried out.

Can I take my dog on to Cable Beach during Stage 1 works?

Existing laws prohibit dogs on- or off-lead along the swimming area of Cable Beach, which extends north from the Surf Club to the vehicle ramp/rocks.
Dogs will not be allowed on to Cable Beach between the Surf Club and Vehicle Access Ramp during the works.
People wishing to take dogs south of the Surf Club can do so via the access tracks in front of Murray Road (Divers Tavern), De Marchi Road and Banu Avenue, and from Gantheaume Beach.
Dogs will still be allowed north of the north access stairs and Vehicle Access Ramp. The first kilometre north of the rocks is a lead-only area.

What happened to the little playground next to the restaurant?

We have temporarily located the playground further north on the foreshore lawn, close to the beach access stairs. This area has picnic tables, palm trees for shade, and great ocean views.

Shade sails will soon be erected over the playground.

How will car parking be affected?

Car parking near the Restaurant and along Cable Beach Road West will be unaffected during these works.

The Surf Club car park, be partially open while we carry out resurfacing works that will make the area safer and more accessible.

Walmanyjun Cable Beach Foreshore Master Plan

The Walmanyjun Cable Beach Foreshore Master Plan (WCBFMP) was adopted by Council at its Ordinary Meeting of Council on October 19, 2017 and a Business Case was completed in May 2020.

The purpose of the WCBFMP was to provide a long-term vision for the Cable Beach foreshore area and to be used as a tool to facilitate investment in community infrastructure through municipal funds, grants and public and private partnerships.

The CBFMP considered, in greater detail, the concept designs that formed part of the Cable Beach Development Strategy (2016), and provided a long-term vision for the Cable Beach Foreshore area.

Improvements set out in the Master Plan include reconfiguring the car park to create a new beach park; creation of a new entry plaza and an upgraded entry with public art, entry statement, garden bed and tree planting; increased ocean views from the site; universal access across the foreshore area; and a the potential for a buried seawall to manage coastal erosion. A copy of the adopted Cable Beach Foreshore Master Plan can be found by accessing the link below.

The Cable Beach Master Plan was the guiding document for the detailed design phase of the Cable Beach Foreshore Redevelopment Project.

Construction of Stage 1 commenced in September 2023.

For more information on the masterplan and project, including the community consultation and design process and details about coast protection, visit cablebeachredevelopment.com.au

What will the Walmanyjun Cable Beach Foreshore Redevelopment consist of?

AA revised Back of SLSC_221205 resize.jpg

The redevelopment of Cable Beach Foreshore will transition one of Broome’s high-quality natural assets into a global drawcard. The Council has endorsed a Master Plan, which was completed in 2017, and a Business Case, which was completed in May 2020.

The project explored many open design components including a new promenade, an amphitheatre upgrade and activation spaces. Other features include the renovation of the Broome Surf Lifesaving Club, upgrade of the Cable Beach car park and the provision of new access options to the beach.

The redevelopment will offer additional commercial opportunities and would link together some of the town’s major tourism, cultural and leisure attractions.

Why is this a major focus for the Shire?

In recent years the Shire has invested significant funds and channelled major energy to see positive infrastructure improvements at Town Beach and in Chinatown. It makes sense that Cable Beach would be the next precinct in line to be refreshed.

The project is a major focus for the Shire because the upgrades will prove to be a major asset for Broome, attract more visitors to our region and provide the community with improved spaces in the Cable Beach area, including an iconic water-play area and event space.

The Cable Beach Foreshore Redevelopment is a $50 million project, with the Shire already committing over $1 million

How we got here

The project’s Business Case has been completed and the Cable Beach Foreshore Redevelopment is a shovel-ready project that the Shire hopes will attract Government funding. The Shire has commenced lobbying efforts with the State and Federal Governments.

The project was included in the 3-Year Broome COVID-19 Recovery Plan, which has been collated by the Shire and our Broome stakeholders to stimulate the local economy. More information and the plan can be viewed here.

The Shire Council endorsed the 2021-22 Budget at the June 2021 Ordinary Meeting of Council, which includes a funding commitment of $867,815 towards the detailed design phase of the project.

Josh Byrne & Associates were selected as the preferred contractor to complete detailed design at the June 2021 Ordinary Meeting of Council. A Community Engagement Plan was endorsed at the September 2021 Ordinary Meeting of Council, while a Community and Stakeholder Reference Group endorsed at the November 2021 Council meeting.

Community consultation was undertaken in March 2022 and feedback on a 50% concept design was received.

What coastal protection measures are being undertaken ahead of the project?

As part of the detailed design process, a number of technical investigations have been undertaken to further understand the design considerations required for the protection options at Cable Beach. These investigations include an analysis of a buried rock revetment wall and sand nourishment.

The technical investigations identified ‘sand nourishment’ as the preferred coastal protection approach for the dune system in front of Zanders and the Surf Club on the basis that it would result in a more natural coastal protection approach whilst also providing a reasonable risk profile.

In the northern section of the foreshore, where the beach access and drainage outlet are located, the investigations found that the most suitable protection would be an exposed rock revetment. Key factors that influenced this recommendation included data obtained through wave modelling that identified localised wave run-up in the northern amphitheatre section, and the presence of existing coastal protection structures (gabions) and the need to provide and protect beach access and drainage structures.

The recommended coastal protection options were endorsed by Council at the Ordinary Meeting of Council on 24 February 2022.