The Port of Airlie Marina construction brings new levels of noise, dirt, dust and disruption to the entire eastern end of Airlie Beach. Pile driving noise levels reaching resorts overlooking the construction site exceed 85 decibel, up to six days a week, with work from 7 a.m. until 6 p.m. on some days. At one stage I measured 87 to 91 decibel from Port of Airlie Marina.

Cleaning staff find it impossible to exclude dust from resort rooms. Annecdotal evidence is that tourists are avoiding resorts on Shute Harbour Road near the Port of Airlie Marina construction. Resorts on Golden Orchid Drive and Hermitage Drive, overlooking the main street of Airlie Beach, have also suffered from a downturn.

Golding marina construction workers do try to keep noise down by using vibrating pile driving, when possible. They also run a watering truck over the marina site all day, to reduce dust. However such a large site is inevitably disruptive to its close neighbours, which seems to be about half of Airlie Beach. The construction site is essentially killing off the eastern end of Airlie Beach for tourists.

In late 2006, Muddy Bay (Boathaven Bay according to Real Estate agents) was changed by Port of Airlie Marina construction. The original photograph of Boathaven Bay was from around 2005. Here are a sequence of photos of Port of Airlie Marina in September 2007. Port of Airlie Marina in October 2007 and slightly later Port of Airlie. Port of Airlie Marina in November 2007. Port of Airlie Marina turned to mud in December 2007. Progress was made by late December 2007 marina construction. The marina was flooded again at Christmas 2007. The original Skase Port of Airlie plan was larger by far.

Newspaper reports of changes to Port of Airlie Marina construction hours. Instead of pile driving from 7 a.m. until 6 p.m., percussion pile driving now starts later. Variously 8 a.m. or 9 a.m. start. Sunday remains mercifully free of noise. Work often ceases around midday on Saturday, if they are working on Saturday at all, and sometimes mid afternoon on Friday.

I remind visitors and tourists that if planning day trips to the Whitsunday Islands or the Great Barrier Reef, you will not encounter the noise problem. Weekends are also generally good.

Reports that pile driving will end mid August seem very optimistic. I think mid September is probably more realistic.

If anyone wonders why my reports are not totally up to date, I have to say that we now find Airlie Beach so obnoxious that we have been away in Sydney and Woolongong for a week or so, and in Cairns and Port Douglas for another week or so to avoid the noise. I only update this site when I get back.

Meridien Port of Airlie project manager John Warlow said Whitsunday locals have bought half the A$150 million of apartments already sold at the Port of Airlie marina development. Meridien managing director Russell McCart said stage one was sold out. Sale of 197 apartments, at prices ranging from A$450,000 for 141 strata titled resort hotel apartments to A$1.25 million for 56 Boathouse apartments, by mid June. The first stage of building upmarket accommodation at Port of Airlie marina is expected to commence mid 2008, with the resort starting in August 2008. Up to 500 people could be working on the site in August.

The Port of Airlie Marina will have 240 marina berths. Property will consist of 15 absolute beachfront homes (they are building the beach as I write this). There would be 141 luxury resort hotel apartments, and 365 residential and tourist apartments. There is a shopping area, public parks, town square, boat ramps, and the bus and ferry terminal.

Golding Contractors trucked in the 50,000 cubic metres of sand in May 2008 for Meridien's new Boathaven Beach at the Port of Airlie Beach construction site. A photograph of project manager Stewart Richardson on the new beach appeared in the Whitsunday Times for 22 May 2008. If roundabouts and access roads are completed on schedule, the new beach and parklands should be available for public access by Xmas 2008.