Coronation Beach, 22km north of Geraldton is world-renown as one of the best windsurfing and kitesurfing spots in Australia.


For decades, the state government has been promoting the construction of a new port in the area called "Oakajee".


This project has been on again, off again for about twenty-eleven years and locals here will be sceptical that it will happen this time, like every other time it was purported to be "definitely on", only to be "definitely off" some time later, but this should be no reason for complacency.


(The response I heard this morning from a long-time local was: "I have a song that can be sung to that tune in answer to that: 'If I had a dollar for everyone that said that to me over the past 10 years,('Oakajee is definitely ON this time') I'd be able to build it myself'".


Today the federal government announced that the project has been resurrected by junior mining concern Padbury Mining; having struck a deal with an Australian private equity investor, the Korean government, with possible involvement of the Chinese government and others. There are large deposits of iron ore to the east and the existing port at Geraldton doesn't have the capacity to handle the export demand.


The project is estimated to cost in the region of $6,000,000,000 to build ($6bn)


www.asx.com.au/asxpdf/20140411/pdf/42nydqqh6z6v6g.pdf


[b]This is significant for kiters and windsurfers, as the delivery of this project will entail the construction of a 2-4km ocean breakwall just to the south of Coronation Beach at "Spot-X" (the best wave riding location in this part of the world), effectively blocking the prevailing southerly sea breeze along with the swell from the south, destroying Spot-X and rendering Coronation Beach irrelevant as a kiting and windsurfing spot.
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Will post more information as it becomes available.