Latest Mackay Seaport News

Demolition project hits halfway mark

Originally published on 23 February 2006

Seaport general manager Scott Keane supervises the extraction of another pile during the demolition of the old sugar wharf at Mackay Harbour.

The Mackay Port Authority's demolition of the old sugar wharf at Mackay Harbour is proving to be one of Queensland's biggest recycling projects.

The $2 million wharf demolition started in September 2004 and today hit the half way mark. Thousands of tonnes of timber and steel are now breathing new life into restoration projects around the nation.

The wharf demolition has been an unexpected gold mine for Brisbane-based company Kennedy's Timbers. The company has already recovered more than 530 tonnes of quality rainforest timber and ironbark - some finding its way into the restoration of Old Parliament House in Canberra.

Seaport general manager Scott Keane said the Mackay Port Authority had overcome a number of early challenges to have the demolition project back on target for completion by Christmas.

It's been a long haul with outstanding commitment by our workers, Mr Keane said.

Mr Keane said the Mackay Port Authority had purchased specialised equipment to extract the huge wharf piles from the seabed.

The concrete piles are freed from the seabed using water jets and the piles are then vibrated and eventually extracted - for far we've removed more than 500 piles using this method, he said.

Mr Keane said recycling had been a key component of the project with 448 tonnes of metal recovered and recycled.

About 11.5 kilometres of concrete piles, weighing 7200 tonnes, have been removed and will be eventually crushed and used in other projects, he said.

We have just hit the halfway mark and already we have removed 29 kilometres of timber decking, five kilometres of girders and two kilometres of head stocks.

The old sugar wharf was officially opened by former Queensland Premier William Forgan Smith on August 26, 1939. It was decommissioned after the construction of a new purpose-built sugar loading wharf in 1999.