AN artificial reef, underwater sculpture and educational signage for divers will form part of a new maritime trail based around the Omeo shipwreck off Port Coogee.
The trail, which will also feature land-based attractions, is being developed by Cockburn council, the WA Museum, Murdoch University and the federal government’s Perth Natural Resource Management group.
Earlier this week it received a boost with a $78,000 cash injection from Lotterywest.
The Omeo was an ill-fated steamer, colliding with and destroying the Swan Spit Lighthouse near Melbourne in 1881 and getting blown ashore at Hamelin Bay in 1895.
• Dr Dianne McLean hauls in GoPro cameras which are being used to see what marine life is swimming around Port Coogee.
The passenger and cargo steamer was refloated and rebranded as a coal hulk but lasted just another 10 years before strong winds blew it onto Coogee Beach on September 11, 1905 and its iron hull was left there to rot.
As part of the on-shore attractions, Frasers Property Group has committed to building a viewing platform overlooking the wreck, and dotting maritime artefacts around nearby pathways.
This week, staff from UWA’s Oceans Institute started a monitoring program to see how the dive trail will affect marine life.
• The Omeo wreck. Photos by Steve Grant
Dr Dianne McLean says video cameras set up over an hour would monitor anything swimming by which would be recorded and the data used by undergrad students.
Dr McLean says it’s a slight change of tack for the institute, which is usually involved in monitoring fish stocks.
Cockburn mayor Logan Howlett says the Omeo wreck, being just 25 metres from shore, was a little-known-about gem for the city to celebrate.
“The Coogee Maritime Trail will create habitat for marine species, inform the community about the significance of the marine environment and promote WA’s important maritime history,” Mr Howlett said.
The trail will be 230 metres long and range from two to eight metres deep, and is expected to be open by summer.
by STEVE GRANT
