Swimmers in a section of Perth’s Swan River can feel safer, with an enclosure surrounded by shark barriers almost ready to be opened to the public.
The barriers around Bicton Baths, in the riverside suburb of Bicton, were fast-tracked by the local council and state government following the fatal mauling of Stella Berry.
The 16-year-old was killed in February just downriver from Bicton Baths, in what was the first recorded shark fatality in the Swan River in a century.
“The beach enclosure will be flexible enough to allow small marine life to pass through, but rigid enough to prevent the entry of large marine animals, such as sharks,” City of Melville said.
“Unlike netting programs used on the east coast, it is designed to be nonlethal towards marine life.
“Approximately 50m long and 50m wide, the enclosure will be attached to the existing jetty structure and is designed to withstand strong forces from weather, tides, currents and wave energy that is significantly higher than what is anticipated at Bicton Baths.”
The cost of the enclosure is about $300,000.
Installers have been busy this week getting the barriers set-up, with the enclosure expected to be officially opened some time next week.
Cameron Wrathall was almost killed by a shark in the Swan at nearby Blackwall Reach in January 2021.
His near-fatal attack was the first recorded in 50 years.
Meanwhile, the City of Fremantle is examining installation of a similar barrier at Bathers Beach.
They backed the site at a meeting this week after a study of a few different locations, and chose Bathers Beach over the site where Stella Berry was killed.