Sellicks Beach Custom Capricorn Shelter

Location	Sellicks Beach, South Australia
Sector	Custom, Elements

Terrain Group recently completed this custom installation at Sellicks Beach in South Australia, including shelter, slab, table setting, decking and landscaping.

Initial discussions with the City of Onkaparinga regarding the upgrade commenced approximately 2 years ago. As part of the community consultation process, Terrain Group created a conceptual shelter design that reflected the history of the area. Customising the design to the client’s requirements, based on our popular Capricorn Shelter, final renders were shared for client approval, along with engineer-certified drawings.

Constructed by locals in the 1940s, the original clifftop shelter was said to have been a viewing point to spot schools of fish. The shelter also featured a bell, used to warn swimmers of sharks that came in close to the shore of this popular swimming beach. Unfortunately, the original structure was severely damaged during storms in late 2016 and hence had to be demolished.

The original warning bell was acknowledged on the new shelter by way of a custom aluminium sign, fixed to the front screen.

Several significant features of the site were safely housed by Terrain Group for local heritage, and care was taken to retain and protect all existing native vegetation.

Terrain staff worked closely with council staff and were able to incorporate design elements that reflected the historical use of the original shelter…and the final product is now receiving community praise.

Andy Smith, City of Onkaparinga

Works required by the City of Onkaparinga:

site preparation and installation of shelter slab
design and manufacture of custom made shelter
supply and install table setting
supply and install decking
supply and placement of Carey Gully stone boulders
repointing a section of the wall at the shelter entrance.

Terrain Group mobilised on site with temporary fencing erected around the area involved, to allow safe demolition of the existing structure, then new footings and groundworks for the new concrete base.

Carey Gully Sandstone boulders were individually selected by Terrain Group and craned into place, the crane spanning a 16 metre reach to lay them in position. The boulders formed a safety barrier across the front of the shelter to alert the public to a steep slope below.

With the concrete poured by Max and his team from SA Concrete Solutions, we left the base to cure for several days before commencing construction. Our highly skilled installation team then completed installation of the shelter and Daintree table setting in just a few days.

Following shelter works, our team commenced the boardwalk construction, creating a 1.5m wide, Disability Discrimination Act compliant deck with kick rail. A wood-plastic composite was selected for the deck, sourced from Advanced Plastic Recycling in Adelaide.

The project finished with repointing of the walling to compliment the aesthetics of the upgrade, and installation of the picnic setting under the new shelter.

With an extensive community consultation process and coordination of services, including presence of the Cultural Heritage monitors, this project has been one of our more interesting, and longer, engagements, spanning 9 weeks from demolition to handover. Our typical shelter projects are completed in just one week, including footings, shelter and related products.

A fantastic result and a wonderful integration into the local environment, thanks to a well-considered material and colour selection. Manufactured from 20um marine-grade aluminium, the durability and longevity and of this coastal shelter structure is second to none.

What our client has to say

“A significant winter storm destroyed a shelter located on cliffs above Sellicks Beach. The shelter was much loved having been originally built by the community and historically used for spotting schools of fish for the local fisherman. Terrain staff worked closely with council staff and were able to incorporate design elements that reflected the historical use of the original shelter. The materials and colour scheme was carefully chosen to ensure that the shelter fitted into a very sensitive environment. The use of recycled materials was a high priority and both the shelter and boardwalk utilised recycled materials. The Terrain design and construction team worked closely with Council staff and the final product is now receiving community praise.”

Andy Smith, City of Onkaparinga, South Australia