In 2023 and 2024 Stage 1 and Stage 2 of the Bicentennial Boardwalk in Airlie Beach Queensland received a major upgrade to the tune of approximately $1.45M. The timber boardwalk, which was originally built in 1988 as per of Australian Bicentennial celebrations, had reached the end of its serviceable life and was costing Whitsunday Regional Council significant operational expenses to maintain and keep open to the public.
It was decided to replace more than 500-metres of timber boardwalk with Wagners Fibre Reinforced Polymer (FRP), leveraging off the inert nature of the material to resist rot, rust and corrosion and achieve a serviceable life of 100-years while at the same time significantly reducing maintenance and replacement costs for rate payers.
Wagners CFT designed and supplied the FRP structural profiles and mesh for the project, which was installed by local construction crew PW Landscapes.
FRP is the perfect solution for Bicentennial Boardwalk because it’s:
- Durable – with an expected 100-year design life
- Inert – fully resistant to rot, rust and corrosion
- Non-leaching and non-toxic – safe for marine environments
- Lightweight – so easy to transport, lift and install
- Resistant – to termites, acid sulfate soils and marine borers
- Cost effective – with reduced maintenance and replacement cycles resulting in significant savings over the lifetime of the structures
