The site was in a highly sensitive ecological area, requiring a high durability/ low impact design that could safely span the wetland ‘no-go’ zone. Given the highly corrosive, high acidity environment, just 100m from the beach, the design also needed to accommodate for the use of suitable protective coatings.

Working in a highly sensitive area provided many challenges. The access corridor was severely limited due to the nature of the surrounding vegetation. Our installation methodology also had to be very low impact, something further complicated by the sandy soil which had low bearing pressure.

To accommodate the boardwalk’s large clear span, Fleetwood created a bespoke variation on the standard Balmoral™ system. Careful selection of materials also saw the team specify an innovative protective coating and Fibre Reinforced Plastic (FRP) for the boardwalk subframe and deck.

• Low impact solution involving Fleetwood’s Balmoral™ and Mars™ systems
• Low profile design, nestled into the landscape
• Dulux 10-year warranty on all painted finishes

• Balmoral™ bridge (Adjusted to create a completely bespoke offering)
• Mars™ boardwalk (Adjusted to create a completely bespoke offering)

Environmental risks were a governing factor at every stage of the project. As one example, due to the site’s restricted access, the size and weight of the bridge sections needed to be carefully considered as part of our safety in design process.

Given its proximity to a highly sensitive wetland and frog habitat, due consideration needed to be given to the impact of the boardwalk on the surrounding landscape. The harsh conditions of the coastal location also meant choosing materials that were highly durable yet low maintenance to minimise ongoing impacts. Beyond this, all timber was sourced from certified sustainably grown Australian Forests and the FRP subframe and decking included recycled materials.