The Mail was given an exclusive tour of the area directly opposite the newly redeveloped Koombana Bay foreshore ahead of its opening in April.
What looks like a car park and a hill of sand from the road is currently being developed into a multi-functional site, which will link in with Koombana Bay.
The $11.55 million project funded by the state government is scheduled to be finished by the end of April.
The area will include a playground, barbecues, boardwalks, toilets and environmental interpretations plus a lookout tower that will sit 15 metres above sea-level giving 360 degree views of the city.
Member for Bunbury Don Punch, City of Bunbury Mayor Gary Brennan and Dolphin Discovery Centre manager David Kerr toured the site last week ahead of the opening.
Originally a contaminated area, the remediated development, which is yet to be named, will have the capacity to host primary school groups in the outdoor educational facility, which is nestled into the sand dunes.
Large totem poles will represent shipwrecks located beneath the surface throughout the site, and will show photos and information about the ships.
The site is home to two sea eagle nests created by Newton Moore High School students.
Access to the mangroves is also being improved with pathways to encourage visitors and locals to explore the area.
The site also has room for an additional public facility which is yet to be decided on.
Mr Punch said a lot of heart and soul had been put into the project, which would become a legacy for the future.
“It’s about building infrastructure that really appeals to visitors but is absolutely fantastic to the people who live here too,” he said.
“The government is going to ask the Bunbury Development Committee the critical question of what is the best use of that site in terms of the intention of integrating with the CBD and with the Dolphin Centre and building the attractiveness of Bunbury’s central features for both visitors and potential investors.
“I’m hoping that the government will announce the committee very early in February so we can get cracking.
“You can see how activated Koombana Beach is now and this will provide a complementary activity space so I think it’s going to be really exciting.
“What has gone on in the designing process is ensuring that we get it right for locals and then visitors come in too because it is so great.”
Mr Punch said money had been put aside for the next stage of development, which he hoped would evolve into another exciting attraction along Koombana Drive.
“You can really only be limited by your own imagination and when people drive down here they’ll see the fantastic Dolphin Discovery Centre on one side and I want them to get whip-lash looking at something fantastic on this side,” he said.
Mr Kerr said the integration of the site with the Dolphin Discovery Centre and Koombana Bay was really important.
“There is plenty of opportunities for synergy and, being an eco-type business, the mangroves are pretty important to us in particular, and the linkages we can make with the mangroves is a real opportunity,” he said.
“These plans have been worked on for the last 20 years so it’s great that we’re actually getting to the point where we are starting to see these things realised.”
City of Bunbury Mayor Gary Brennan said the aim was for Koombana Drive to be the major entry point to the city.
“With a little bit of a imagination,and in five years from today, it will be a different landscape entirely,” he said.
“We’ve been looking forward to this for many years now, the vision has always been there and we’ve been working on this for years.
“We’re looking for something iconic. It’s such a superb site so it can’t be something that is just average – I’m confident we’ll get there.”
