Chance to explore southern WA ports embraced by communities

Close to 1,700 community members across Albany, Bunbury and Esperance took up the unique opportunity to see Southern Ports’ three regional ports over two busy days of boat tours.

The free boat tours which ran on Friday 10 October and Saturday 11 October were the first time Southern Ports opened all three of its ports to the public at the same time. 

Southern Ports Chief Executive Officer Keith Wilks said it was fantastic to see just how popular the tours are.

“We love the opportunity to engage with our regional communities, and it’s been great so many people are interested in seeing a different perspective of our ports – the tickets were snapped up very quickly,” said Mr Wilks.

“There are some great viewing spots around our towns to see the 750 vessels that come and go each year, but there’s nothing like getting up close to sense the true scale of our port operations – from the size of the vessels and infrastructure through to the volume of cargo we facilitate.”

A range of Southern Ports’ team members hosted the tours, sharing behind-the-scenes insights into how the ports work and the skill it takes to move such large quantities of product. 

“It’s fantastic to get a sense of our ports through the eyes of community members who are often left with a sense of awe. We’ve given them a greater understanding of the widespread impact that our ports have on our regions and our state by connecting them with global markets,” said Mr Wilks.

Sixty tours, each 45 minutes long, took place across the two days to show off the three ports.

Southern Ports, a long-time supporter of Foodbank including through its corporate partnership that has been renewed for another year, used the opportunity to fundraise asking for gold-coin donations.

“We’re proud to support Foodbank which provides hunger relief across our regions and is vital for the community, and this was a great opportunity to continue that support,” said Mr Wilks.