The image left shows Territory Diving Services dive boat helping with the
tricky task of positioning the swimming lagoon pipework on the floor of
Kitchener Bay. All pipework wants to float, poly pipe is even worse, so
concrete blocks are bolted around the pipes to weight them down to the
seabed.
August 18th, the day everyone loves (especially politicians) as Darwin's,
new, purpose built Convention Centre rises out of the ground with the
first pour on the ground floor slab. All cynicism aside, it is indeed a
milestone for the project, and Darwin; it seems a way off yet, but the
Centre will be opened and running before ya know it!
Now that pipework is installed inside the swimming lagoon and on the sea
floor, it only remains to to wait for the tide to go out and then join it
up! Easier said than done when the tide can go up and down seven metres
a day, but it's all connected and buried now.
The dozer in this image, a D9, gives some idea of the scope of this project.
Centre left, in the enlarged image, is the existing shoreline; look closely
and you'll see the stumps of a long gone timber wharf exposed by the new works.
The rock wall above the dozer is the peninsula for the first apartment complex;
90% sold on the first day units were offered! When the gap is closed, the
resulting basin will form a marina, with lock access into Darwin Harbour not
far behind the dozer.
