Author Tim Winton says Exmouth wrong place for a port

A deepwater industrial port in a northern WA tourist town is facing a backlash from locals and conservationists.

The Exmouth Chamber of Commerce backs the plan and says it will provide plenty of benefits to the community.

If approved, construction of the port is scheduled to begin in early 2029 if approved.

A proposed deepwater industrial port in northern Western Australia has been described as unnecessary, unjustified and unacceptable by locals and conservationists worried about the impact on marine animals.

The Gascoyne Gateway Marine Complex is proposed to be built just outside of Exmouth, 1,230km north of Perth, where it will feature a single jetty wharf, bulk fuel storage, a solar farm, and a seawater desalination plant.

The port will be designed to service cruise liners, defence and commercial supply vessels.

The proposal has caught the attention of conservationist and famous author Tim Winton who has opposed the project.

Exmouth local Brinkley Davies also said she was concerned about the port's location so close to town and World Heritage Ningaloo.

"It is worrying because it is my front yard, but also the marine ecosystem that is at risk is a major factor," Ms Davies said.

Having worked in marine conservation herself, Ms Davies has been involved in the campaign against the port since its initial proposal in 2020.

"It was not widely spoken about then and in the last five or six years, the town has really boomed and there is a lot more people living here and more people standing up for the place," she said.

"There are a few key species that really have an importance in this area, one of them is dugongs.

"There is a very important seagrass meadows where they are feeding and they also come in here to nurse their calves and rest, and that area is at direct risk of being covered in silt if they are going to dredge."

Fellow Exmouth local Violeta Brosig said she was concerned the port could impact the humpback whales that rely on the Gulf.

"My main concern is it is going to be right in the middle of the parts of the humpback highway in Exmouth Gulf," she said.

"It needs to be preserved and protected instead of destroyed."

However, the Exmouth Chamber of Commerce president David Gillespie said it was an opportunity of a lifetime for locals and there would be flow-on benefits for the community.

"There will be upgrades and roads, jobs, " he said.

"There's for and against on both sides with businesses that agree to disagree, but I just get back to what the positives are from an economic perspective and what that will do for the town, for increased housing and population."

Gascoyne Gateway CEO Daniel Jackson said there had been extensive community consultation and believed the majority of locals and businesses were in favour of the port.

"We certainly acknowledge that there's seasonal windows, we're talking a few months of the year in which higher degree of risk mitigation is required to manage interaction between vessels and fauna, as it does now.

"There's commercial vessels operating there today that are moving in and out and around fauna in the Gulf."

The project is still undergoing approvals, with the WA Environmental Protection Authority currently undertaking public consultation.

World renowned author, conservationist and patron of Protect Ningaloo, Tim Winton, said the Exmouth Gulf was the wrong place for a port.

"It is one of the world's most important humpback whale nurseries and the idea of building a wharf a kilometre long into the whale refuge and to bring up to 600 vessels a year into the whale nursery just seems fundamentally wrong," Mr Winton said.

"We're of the view that this is unnecessary, unjustified and unacceptable in its impacts to the Ningaloo estate."

While this proposal could be approved by and started by 2029, the Exmouth Gulf is also being considered for National Heritage Listing, with that decision not expected until 2030.

The WA government is also looking to establish a new marine park covering the entire Exmouth Gulf.

"Exmouth Gulf, is about to become a marine park, it is currently being assessed for national heritage status, which is obviously a pathway to world heritage protection," Mr Winton said.

Protect Ningaloo has so far gathered over 74,000 signatures for their submission to the EPA.

Mr Jackson said a large portion of the environmental review submission focused on dredging during the construction phase and it would be done in a controlled manner to ensure the seabed was not overly disturbed.

If approved, construction on the port is expected to begin in 2029 and be operational by end of that year.