THE tourism industry in the Whitsundays received a major boost today with the official opening of Whitsunday Regional Council’s rebuilt Shute Harbour Marine Terminal, which is now a world-class facility.

The $63.5 million project has seen a complete rebuild of the marine facility after it was extensively damaged during Severe Tropical Cyclone Debbie in March 2017.

This is a significant investment in our premier tourist region by local, state and federal governments.

Shute Harbour is a gateway to the internationally renowned Whitsunday Islands, which is why all three levels of government worked closely together on this flagship recovery project.

The Australian and Queensland Governments were pleased to support Whitsunday Regional Council through the jointly funded Natural Disaster Relief and Recovery Arrangements (NDRRA) to deliver this important project.

The Shute Harbour Marine Terminal offers new resilient infrastructure, stunning sea views and state-of-the-art commercial facilities for our marine tourism industry.

The new seawall has raised the level of the entire site by up to an extra metre to be more resilient against storm surges in the future.

This vital rebuild has also driven employment and economic recovery in the Whitsundays, which has dealt with the dual impacts of the cyclone in 2017 and the current COVID-19 global pandemic.

The Shute Harbour Marine Terminal boasts three finger pontoons and a range of berthing options, terminal ticketing and baggage claim area, fuel facility, restaurant, retail space, carpark and recreational fishing jetty.

Eligible works received joint funding from the Australian and Queensland Governments under the NDRRA, while Whitsunday Regional Council provided and sourced additional funding.