Bowen Wharf Project
North Queensland Bulk Ports is committed to working with the Bowen community to deliver a vibrant and valued public Jetty for generations to come.
Concept design options
As part of our commitment to involving the community in designing a future Bowen Jetty, we recently released two concept design options for the future Bowen Jetty and invited the community to share their thoughts. These designs were informed by the key themes identified during previous community engagement in March of this year.
Thank you to all Bowen locals and stakeholders who provided feedback on the two options through our face-to-face engagements, email, and online survey in June.
Comments are now closed, and we are reviewing all feedback to help refine and shape the final concept design for the future jetty.
Stay tuned — the final design will be unveiled to the community later this year.
About the Wharf
The 150-year-old Bowen Wharf is a valued asset for the Bowen community and visitors. It also plays a commercial role in accommodating the tugs that service the Port of Abbot Point. Constructed in the late 1860s, the wharf has been reconstructed and extended several times over the years and is nearing its end of life.
From February to August 2021 $3.6 million in works were carried out on the wharf which saw parts of the aged timber structure repaired or replaced. The repair works involved the replacement of the worst wooden components including 66 timber girders, 12 corbels, 132 beams, 550 square metres of bridge decking ply and more than half a kilometre of timber deck planks.
Project summary
In June 2023, the Queensland Government allocated "$50 million for the replacement of North Queensland Bulk Ports’ Bowen Wharf, with the plans, designs and approvals subject to further consultation with stakeholders” as part of the 2023/24 Budget. The funding was made possible due to Queensland's coal royalties. With this significant funding, visitors and locals will benefit from a Jetty that will serve the generations of today and tomorrow.
NQBP engaged skilled Queensland engineers for a refurbishment study and a specialist quantity surveying firm to provide cost estimates. For a detailed overview, you can access the Bowen Wharf Refurbishment Study Summary and the Bowen Wharf Refurbishment Study. NQBP will be undertaking further studies and surveys to ensure an exhaustive understanding of the condition of the wharf and to explore options considering the significant funding contribution from the State.
To support a community-led design, NQBP has engaged the global sustainable development consultancy firm, Arup, to develop a draft concept, undertake stakeholder and community consultation, and deliver a finalised concept design.
NQBP Project Director, Nawar Spear, has also been appointed and brings a wealth of experience in developing, planning and delivering large infrastructure programs and major construction projects for Federal and State Government agencies.
Community engagement
In June, Bowen locals had their say on two concept design options for the future Bowen Jetty as part of the Consult stage of the project.
Earlier, in March, we heard from all parts of the community including local residents, business operators, community groups, school students, elected representatives and tourism operators. This engagement was a key part of the Discover stage of the project and key themes identified in this feedback informed the concept designs.
Feedback from both stages of the process ensures the design of the Bowen Jetty is guided by what is important to locals and the big ideas the community has for the future.
Consult phase engagement summary: June 2024
How locals had a say
Thank you to the Bowen locals and stakeholders who shared their thoughts throughout June on the two concept design options. The engagement resulted in 163 surveys completed (153 online and 10 in hard copy) with more than 500 people engaged in face-to-face interactions.
The clear preference expressed through the survey and in conversations was for option 1 – the linear design form – combined with the mangrove boardwalk from option 2.
The eight key themes established from the pre-design engagement in March this year were reinforced through the June engagement as important values for the community.
More about the engagement activities
An online survey on the two concept design options was open for four weeks to understand what locals valued and wanted in the future Bowen Jetty.
Download the summary of the survey results.
To reach all residents and businesses in Bowen with information about the jetty concepts and encourage widespread feedback, a community flyer was developed and distributed to residents and businesses in Bowen via Australia Post.
Pop-up information sessions were held in the community at Bowen State High School, Bowen PCYC, Centre Point Plaza Shopping Centre, Bowen Community Markets and at the Bowen Show.
The information sessions allowed people to chat with the project team, learn more about the concept design options and how to have their say through the survey.
Further engagements with key stakeholder groups to seek feedback on the concept designs included Bowen Collinsville Enterprise (BCE), Whitsunday Regional Council (WRC), Maritime Safety Queensland, Bowen Chamber of Commerce, Save the Jetty Committee, Bowen Community Centre and a local developer.
The project engaged specialist consultant, Dr Kim de Rijke, to undertake a Cultural Values Report as part of the design development and included a face-to-face site visit.
Discovery phase engagement summary: March 2024
How locals had a say
Thank you to all in the Bowen community who have given input into the pre-design phase of the Bowen Wharf Project.
What we heard
In this Discover phase, you told us what you value about the jetty, how you like to use it, what improvements are needed and ideas for the future.
These eight key themes were consistently raised:
More about the engagement activities
Several engagement activities were held with the community. They were informed about the activities through the local newspaper and magazine, social media, e-newsletters, website updates, community presentations and project briefings and meetings.
Download the summary of community engagement activities.
Several engagement activities were held with the community. They were informed about the activities through the local newspaper and magazine, social media, e-newsletters, website updates, community presentations and project briefings and meetings.
Download the summary of community engagement activities.
The winners of the Design your Dream Jetty Competition have been announced.
Around 100 Bowen youth designed their dream jetty as part of the art competition held by NQBP.
Check out all of the entries on the competition page.
The pre-design phase online survey was open for just over four weeks with 601 responses received.
Most respondents were local to Bowen and gave feedback about how the jetty is used, what is most valued about the jetty and ideas for the design.
Insights from this survey build upon the feedback from a previous community survey about the Bowen Jetty run by the Bowen Chamber of Commerce.
We met with the Kyburra Munda Yalga Board and other Juru Elders and walked the jetty together.
Emerging themes from our conversations during these visits include the protection and preservation of local marine life and further education of the Bowen and visiting community of Juru’s occupation of Bowen pre-settlement and their continued connection to Sea Country.
We are excited about the opportunity to strengthen the Juru story through the Bowen Wharf Project through ongoing conversations and engagement.
A workshop was held with 38 Bowen State High School students from years 7 through 12.
The two-hour workshop aimed to give a voice to Bowen’s young people about the future of the jetty and to give interested students hands-on experience with a real-world design project.
The project team held two workshops with 33 Bowen local community members, elected representatives, business representatives, tourism operators and community groups.
The EbD workshops provided insights and input from a representation of the broad Bowen community in the important pre-design phase.
These sessions helped define the place brief, align expectations, identify the right uses and facilities to incorporate into the design and better plan for current and future needs.
View the Enquiry by Design presentation.
An open information session was held at the Bowen PCYC.
Information presented at the Enquiry by Design workshops and feedback given to date was shared and discussed with the 13 members of the community who attended.
Next steps
The consultation period for the concept design options is now closed and feedback is being reviewed.
A final concept design of the future Bowen Jetty will be unveiled to the community later this year.
Stay connected
For enquiries, please reach out to us via email bowenwharf@nqbp.com.au.
You can also sign up below to receive the latest updates on the Bowen Wharf Project straight to your inbox.