The Bluff, Devonport Tasmania

Overview

Founded in 1927, the Devonport Surf Life Saving club was the first officially recognised surf club in Tasmania. Located at the iconic Mersey Bluff Plaza on Tasmania’s North West coast, ‘The Bluff’ as it is known by locals, is a popular spot for swimming, sunbathing, picnics in the park, and Surf Life Saving. With the project commencing in the middle of January 2011, the upgrade to the club house and surrounding facilities was welcomed by surf club members and the local community with a number of family friendly sites including a new playground, BBQ facilities, public plaza and car park created as a part of the redevelopment.

Although the original plans specified the use products from the Australian mainland, the Devonport City Council decided to invest in local industry, selecting Tasmania’s oldest masonry manufacturer, Adbri Masonry to supply the 8,300 square meters of paving that was required for the project. With such a tight time frame, the Technical Support Coordinator, Peter Porch explained ‘we were very pleased with the performance of Adbri Masonry meeting the scheduling requirements of the program. In addition, the products used in the development met our expectations for serviceability and uniformity in colour and size. The company representatives were knowledgeable, receptive to feedback and made themselves available for consultation as required.’

In creating the versatile public area and walk way, 6,500 square metres of Adbri Masonry’s Trihex® and Quartz Stone pavers brought to life the architects vision of flowing waves, blending the ocean and beach environments. In order to achieve the distinctive design, Adbri Masonry’s Ulverstone plant produced the uniquely coloured Oatmeal, Salmon, Sandstone and Desert Sand pavers, which were installed in alternating layers to create the representation of flowing waves.

In order to ensure reliable supply of the product needed for the project, Adbri Masonry committed to 12 months of machine modifications at the Ulverstone plant, which enabled the machine to effectively cube and package the new Trihex® product. With these new improvements, as well as introducing extended work hours for 6 days a week, the Ulverstone team were able maintain project schedules, producing over 8000m2 of product in one month whilst still being able to satisfy all other product demands. In addition to adapting production process to cope with the new mould, four new colours; Oatmeal, Salmon, Sandstone and Desert Sand were specifically developed to enhance the innovative visual design of the car park. Adbri Masonry’s General Manager Southern Region, Andrew Dell commented, ‘the commitment to satisfy the customer’s needs in order to achieve their project outcomes, really reflects how well the Ulverstone team work together to understand and provide quality solutions on time and in full.’

Through forward thinking and teamwork the Ulverstone team managed to supply this project on time and without issues. According to Ulverstone Branch Manager Brian Cairnduff, “this was a dream project where after the successful upgrades to plant equipment, only very minimal issues presented themselves with all production and supply running smoothly”. Since the completion of ‘The Bluff’, the dynamic design and innovative use of colours has been invaluable in inspiring others to seek out Adbri Masonry’s manufacturing expertise to push the boundaries of their own projects.

In February 2011 the new clubhouse and surrounding areas were opened, with all involved with the project being very pleased with the results. Since the opening it has been clear that the local public have embraced the new facilities and will look forward to enjoying it for many more summers to come.

Other projects in Tasmania

Since their beginnings as Besser Tasmania in 1957 Adbri Masonry has supplied products to many commercial projects which have helped build Tasmania including;

• • Salamanca precinct Southern Tasmania using Decor paving
• • River Road Project North West Tasmania using 80mm Unipave®
• • Devonport Bluff Devonport using Trihex® paving

Other projects using Trihex® and Eco Trihex®

• • 2500m² at Berwick Select Entry School Victoria
• • 2000m² at Riverlinks Shopping Centre Ipswich
• • 750m² at Centenary Square Brisbane CBD