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boatie’s paradise, Port of Airlie will become the new gateway to the Great Barrier Reef - a world class destination with a luxury international resort, residential apartments, oceanfront homes, public boardwalk, park and beach, retail and commercial centre, ferry and cruise terminal and a world class marina. The Port of Airlie development in Airlie Beach, North Queensland is well underway and is significant for a number of reasons. It was first conceived more than 20 years ago and it’s the first tourism development in Queensland to be approved under Australia’s Environmental Protection Biodiversity Conservation Act (EPBC) 1999.
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Marina harbour/public (Artist illustration on completion)
The Boathouse Apartments (Artist illustration on completion)
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Location of Port of Airlie in the Whitsundays
Port of Airlie’s design and facilities will make it an international destination unequalled on the Australian coast. Meridien, one of the country’s leading property developers, has managed to bring one of Australia’s most unique coastal destinations a soon to be paradise for the 5 star travelling types. Founded in 1997, Meridien is a privately owned property development company that delivers projects to the market that are unique, innovative, and in many cases, quite extraordinary, like Port of Airlie. Meridien’s areas of expertise include Property Development, Retirement Living, Marinas, Student Accommodation
and Funds Management. The Port of Airlie vision is being realised thanks to a cohesive partnership between a prominent environmentalist, a leading architect and an award-winning developer. Port of Airlie Development Director, John Warlow says the project has been twelve years in the planning and delivery and now the exhaustive environmental research and hard work is finally coming to fruition. “No major development has ever come through such scrutiny. Port of Airlie has passed two dozen approval processes in all three tiers of government and has the overwhelming support of the Airlie Beach community. “None of that was easy, it all had to be earned. We’ve had an independent Australian Construction Focus
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environmental auditing process in place, which was part of the approval conditions, and we were given a scorecard of 95 per cent plus. That’s exceptional considering we’re working within the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park and adjacent to a National Park.”
shutters and screens and light hardwood flooring with caulking in between the boards making the floor like the laid deck of a luxury yacht. Stainless steel detailing completes the finish of the apartments. These apartments will look out across the marina to spectacular views of the Coral Sea.
Port of Airlie construction is on schedule with the marina harbour complete and fully formed and berth construction well underway. The Port of Airlie Marina will incorporate and a world class marina ranging in size from 12m-50m with an array of stateof-the-art facilities and services available. The completion of the first marina stage will coincide with the opening of the entry channel and The Boathouse Apartments at the end of this year.
“There could be no better choice than Gary Hunt of Hunt Design Group as the architect for Port of Airlie as he has worked and lived in the tropics for over 30 years and is a strong believer in traditional Queensland architecture being best suited to the climate. This project will be the most significant on any tropical coast anywhere in Australia. The classic colonial design will make this complex work with the natural local environment making the destination somewhere special – not just in Airlie Beach, not just in Queensland, not just in Australia, but anywhere in the world,” Mr Warlow said.
The Boathouse Apartments building is nearing completion and has used materials to exude the style of a luxury yacht. There are wide openings with the use of louvres,
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Waterfront retail spaces positioned on the
ground level of The Boathouse Apartments and alongside the boardwalk are now being filled with significant demand for this unique location.
engineering feat enabled Meridien to build on good quality residual material above the high water mark. Part of these sheet piles have now been removed in order to open the marina harbour up to the Coral Sea.
“This has been the strongest retail enquiry received in the Airlie Beach market in two and half years. National groups are not only showing strong expressions of interest but can see the retail market turning the corner in the next 12 months�, Mr Warlow said. The unparalleled engineering design of Port of Airlie is that it is totally manmade. The whole development was formed on reclaimed land from below the high water mark. Meridien had to import 1.9km of marine grade sheet piles from Belgium to help isolate the site from the ocean and allow excavation of mud and solid material. This process resulted in the turnover of 1 million cubic metres of material and therefore allowed Meridien to excavate 21 metres below sea level, storing surplus mud below the flooded marina harbour. This incredible Australian Construction Focus
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Another engineering feat is Port of Airlie’s man-made 240 metre long ‘Boathaven beach’, which is comprised of 60,000 cubic metres of white sand imported from Ten Mile Creek in Queensland. Boathaven Beach underwent significant wave analysis and was built a certain way so as to protect the residential homes that front the beach as well as the marina. “It’s a very unique addition to the project and will be enjoyed by both the local community and Port of Airlie residents alike.” Mr Warlow said. Fifteen of the best beachfront homes in Australia will be positioned on Boathaven Beach forming a sanctuary of unique waterfront residences. These homes will have absolute beach frontage on one side and a 30m private marina berth on the other side. Mr. Warlow believes Port of Airlie will change Airlie Beach forever, it will cease from being a stopping off point for the Whitsundays to making it a destination in its own right.
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“Airlie Beach has always been the gateway to the Whitsundays but Port of Airlie will make it a destination in its own right,” Mr. Warlow said. Port of Airlie is also expected to drive hundreds of millions of dollars into Airlie Beach and the North Queensland economy during and after construction. In addition to tourism dollars, Port of Airlie will create hundreds of full-time positions in its marina, hotel, apartments and shops. Furthermore, the $7 million redevelopment of the Whitsunday Coast Airport due to commence this financial year will significantly help to meet the expected increase of passenger arrivals in the Whitsunday region. Planning for the project has also deliberately included some facilities to be enjoyed by the Airlie Beach community, which has generously embraced Meridien’s vision for the future. “That vision includes local amenities such as public parks, picnic areas, a boardwalk, car parking, a Town Square, boat ramps and beaches,” Mr. Warlow said. “There is also a new Fantasea Adventure Cruising
integrated ferry, cruise and bus terminal included in the 30 hectares of development and that has been very important in terms of cementing the worth of this project to the local community. “We’ve focused on bringing to life an international destination in tropical North Queensland. We chose a design and construction team with the best skills and know-how and we’ve worked hard to ensure, and in fact, we have achieved, the very best environmental practice.” “The community had to have the confidence that what we were proposing was right for the area and that it would be done the right way.” Such has been the confidence in Port of Airlie that all released apartments in Stage One of the landmark destination were sold well before the project launched to the public. All released apartments available in the first stage were sold to buyers who had registered interest over the last few years. “We promised our future residents that they would have the option to buy prerelease. And the majority of them exercised
their option,” Mr. Warlow said. Mr. Warlow believes when complete, Port of Airlie will boost the local tourism and employment economy. “This will be a sizeable and dynamic destination. Meridien has invested in this community for the long-term and we will continue to have input into Port of Airlie. This will ensure the original vision and goals we set are maintained into the future.” Airlie Beach is located on the doorstep of the beautiful Whitsunday Islands, North Queensland with the closest airport (Proserpine/Whitsunday Coast) located only 35 minutes away. Be a part of Port of Airlie’s exciting future as it continues to evolve into becoming a world-class, fully integrated residential resort marina destination. Apartments are now selling. Display Apartment now open, for more information regarding Port of Airlie or to visit the display apartment please call +61 7 4948 0643 or email: info@portofairlie.com.au. Australian Construction Focus
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