WA Senator stops in at Saltwater

WA Senator Louise Pratt was in Busselton last week to take in the latest progress of the City’s Saltwater convention and performing arts centre as it remains on track for completing in mid-2025.

Senator Pratt enjoyed a tour of the facility, which when completed will include a 640-seat tiered theatre, gallery and convention space and multi-use areas.

“Saltwater will allow an increase in the amount of live music performances and concerts held in the region, which will boost visitation during both the peak and off-peak tourism periods,” she said during the tour.

“It will bring more visitors to Busselton and will be the jewel in the crown of the Busselton Cultural Precinct.”

The City said significant progress had been made to the facade and interior spaces including the foyer, the Saltwater Gallery, the auditorium and back of house areas.

“Saltwater is nearing completion and the countdown to opening has well and truly commenced,” Busselton Mayor Phill Cronin said. “Looking at the construction site from Queen Street, you can see the venue is really starting to take shape now.

“Window frames have been installed and glazing is almost complete, which contributes to the sense of anticipation that the venue is rapidly moving into the final stage of construction. When I toured the site recently, I could see that significant progress has been made with internal fit out and finishing in key areas including the multi-functional auditorium.

“You can imagine yourself sitting in the spacious tiered-seat theatre for a show or visualise the area converted to a flat-floor space for a concert.”

The project was forecast to support 120 jobs during construction and 45 jobs ongoing in direct and indirect ongoing employment – 25 of those within the tourism industry.

“Not only has the City secured a diverse range of exciting shows for Saltwater’s first few years of operation, the venue has also been booked for some large national conferences during the off-peak tourism season,” Mayor Cronin said. “On the second floor, you can picture the conference suite set up for a range of different business events and delegates will enjoy beautiful views of the Foreshore Precinct from the alfresco balcony.”

The project has been funded by the City of Busselton with contributions from the Australian Government ($12.2 million), Lotterywest and Rio Tinto.

“This will result in a fantastic new space for world-class entertainment, national conferences and exhibitions, breathing new life into Busselton’s cultural landscape,” Federal Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government, Catherine King said .