With construction of a multi-storey car park for METRONET’s new Morley train station on the horizon, the existing skate park at Wotton Reserve in Embleton, Perth had to be relocated.

Funded by the Western Australia State Government through METRONET, the City of Bayswater built a brand new $2.5 million skate park in the eastern section of Wotton Reserve. The hero of the new skate park is Western Australia’s biggest half-pipe: a 3.9m high, 13.5m wide vertical ramp with additional roll-ins from above the main platform. The first of its kind in Western Australia, the half-pipe is a major drawcard for skaters and riders alike.

Initially, the existing vertical ramp was set to be relocated. However, it was closed in July 2022 when a condition assessment discovered that significant corrosion had impacted the structural integrity of the ramp, presenting a high risk of failure. Over half the structure required replacement. Instead, the brand-new vertical ramp was designed and built.

The new skate park encompasses a range of other elements for beginners through to more experienced riders and skaters. The junior plaza includes a 1m mini ramp designed for younger skaters who are just learning the ropes, while BMX riders now have access to intermediate and advanced jumps, alongside a return loop for continuous riding. The development also features a variety of complementary community facilities such as floodlighting, a bike repair station, barbecues, picnic shelters, bike racks, drinking fountains, landscaping, and plenty of seating.

Galvanizing the Ride

All steelwork for the new skate park was galvanized by Hartway Galvanizers in Canning Vale. With a century of combined management experience and a galvanizing capacity in excess of 60,000 tonnes per year, Hartway’s Canning Vale facilities can galvanize frames up to 5.1m in width and single items up to 15m in length by double end dipping.

In total, Hartway Galvanizers hot dipped over 15 tonnes of steel for the new Bayswater skate park, including elements such as the ramp, grinding rails, shelter, stairs, handrails, and lighting towers around the park.

According to Gavin Bowey (Works Manager, Hartway Galvanizers Canning Vale), galvanizing offered several economic benefits for the City of Bayswater. “The City of Bayswater specified hot dip galvanizing because it provides the best rust protection and maintenance lifecycle. Hot dip galvanizing is a one and done coating that doesn’t require additional work for many, many years—the time to first maintenance for the skate park is estimated at 100 years.”

“Galvanizing is uniquely placed to withstand the extreme wear and tear expected from the high volume of users at the skate park, particularly as all of the steel members are fully coated, and hollow sections are coated inside and out.”

“The durability and toughness of galvanizing made it an incredibly affordable solution for the City of Bayswater, particularly compared to other coatings on the market.”

“Plus, the galvanized coating flawlessly integrates with the skate park’s design, harmonizing with its industrial aesthetic. The application of galvanizing as a finish not only enhances the park’s appearance but also embodies the rugged industrial style that resonates with the world of extreme sports,” said Bowey.

From a (Half) Pipe Dream to Engineering Innovation

Margaret River Engineering undertook fabrication and installation of the galvanized steelwork for the project. As Shaun Radley, from Margaret River Engineering explained, the size and shape of the structures that were galvanized presented several challenges for the project team, particularly the drop-in ramp. At 13.5m wide x 19m deep x 6.7m high (at its highest point), the curve of the half-pipe had to line up perfectly to ensure the final skatelite surface was smooth and safe to skate on.

“To overcome these challenges, consultation between all members of the project team—the designers, engineers, fabricators and galvanizers—was essential. The team was in regular communication on all aspects of the project to ensure that all structures looked and performed as they were designed to once the project was complete,” said Radley.

The project featured a modular design that was entirely bolted together. “Modular design enabled fabrication of many pieces of the same shape that could be dipped together. The modular design also means that the ramp can be easily replicated at other skate parks; dismantled, moved to a different location and re-built; or dismantled, re-galvanized and reassembled in the same location.”

“All pieces were designed so they could be single dipped and required minimal venting and drainage work during fabrication. The curved sections were fabricated from angle to remove the requirement for drainage and reduce the chance of distortion. This resulted in a lot more components. Because there were so many pieces, every piece was marked with a welded number that could be easily identified after the piece had been galvanized. This made construction much faster,” said Radley.

With more components, the risk of distortion during galvanizing and failure to align during erection increases. As such, the location and orientation of the joining cleats were carefully designed so that they could pull against the distortion to achieve tolerances onsite. Often, components such as channels are straightened after galvanizing using a press. However, the frames were too complex for straightening.

In addition, all the pieces had to be transported from Hartway Galvanizers’ facility in Canning Vale to Embleton. This meant that every piece had to fit on a standard semi-trailer.

“All pieces were designed so they could be packed, loaded and transported on a standard semi-trailer. Once galvanized, the same shaped sections could be easily stacked and strapped together, reducing time and labour costs. Bundles could then be quickly and safely loaded for transport and unloaded at site,” said Radley.

The end result is a community facility that enables BMX and skating enthusiasts to safely enjoy their favourite pastime in a modern, purpose-built park designed to last.

Project Team

• Owner: City of Bayswater
• Builder: MG Group
• Designer: Skate Sculpture
• Fabrication and installation of galvanized steelwork: Margaret River Engineering
• Fabrication and installation of wooden cladding: MG Group
• Galvanizer: Hartway Galvanizers Canning Vale