Category: Booth Camp

Job by job – the future at North Harbour

From boat repairers to retailers, teachers, tour guides, medical staff and home-based entrepreneurs, North Harbour is shaping up as one of the Moreton Bay region’s biggest job generators over the next two decades.

With its marina precinct set to be declared a Priority Development Area (PDA) by the State Government, North Harbour is primed to create more than 6,500 ongoing jobs.

The good news locally is that around 90 per cent of the jobs will go to workers living in the Moreton Bay region.

It’s one of the ways in which we intend to demonstrate our strong support for a Moreton Bay Regional Council initiative to build a $40 billion local economy and generate 100,000 jobs in the next 20 years.

North Harbour is proud to be backing the council’s Regional Economic Development Strategy and join with a host of other business and community leaders in #teammoretonbay in expanding on a COVID-19 recovery.

 

The skills in demand

Research from widely respected independent economics group Urbis has revealed that the marina will underpin other major components of North Harbour, including the Business Park and the ongoing delivery of new homes.

North Harbour will support highly skilled workers in all facets of the boating industry, as well as  creating hundreds of jobs across a range of other industries including retail, education, food and beverage and aged care.

The North Harbour Business Park will generate the highest number of jobs with a total of 5,228 employment opportunities.

 

Job by job skills in demand

 

Construction of North Harbour is expected to be a significant job creator over the next 25 years.

A total 373 direct and indirect jobs a year will be needed in the construction of the residential estate up to 2025, 358 for the North Harbour Business Park over 18 years and 693 for the marina precinct.

 

Construction at North Harbour

 

Marine trades will be one of the big winners.

With North Harbour planned to become a state-of-the-art marine hub attracting a significant portion of Australia’s $68 billion marine industry to the region, the employment opportunities are vast – ranging from everything including boat repairs to boat and trailer manufacture and sales, brokering, and marine tourism.

Cabinetmakers, electricians, plumbers, sailmakers, marine fabricators, boat detailers, fabricators of upholstery and metal including boilermakers and welders, deckhands, tour operators and guides as well as dive instructors will be needed.  This is in addition to about 70 staff required for dry boat stacking and hardstand operations.

Showroom retailing is expected to be another major employment generator at North Harbour, with approximately 455 people working in range of outlets. Many of these roles will be located at the North Harbour Business Park, which will become a vital centre on the northside for a variety of big-box retailers.

Home-based businesses are expected to flourish. While Urbis has forecast a steep rise in home-based businesses at North Harbour, the COVID-19 pandemic has likely caused a seismic shift in the number of employees working from home as well. With some of the country’s highest internet speeds available at North Harbour, it’s ideal for computer-based operations.

 

Projected jobs by the numbers:
Mixed industry and business (including marine industry) 1,833
Retail showrooms 455
Suburban offices 333
Specialty stores 283
Supermarket 235
Teachers and childcare 166
Tavern and club 134
Food and beverage 101
Retirement & aged care 100
Dry boat stacker & hardstand operations 72
Indoor sports 69
Short-term accommodation 54
Medical Centre 38

 

An economic powerhouse for Moreton Bay

North Harbour is set to be become an economic powerhouse, injecting a massive $707 million a year  into the Moreton Bay region.

The 400-berth marina alone will deliver a substantial marina village with retail, tourism and entertainment uses. The precinct will also provide 600 new apartments and 600 detached homes as part of the marina village, 800 dwellings in a canal estate.

To find out more about North Harbour, register your details via our contact form.

Oceans of opportunity for diving

Located close to some of southeast Queensland’s most spectacular underwater sites, the proposed North Harbour marina and recreational precinct will offer fantastic opportunities for amateur scuba enthusiasts right through to professional dive operators.

With the $2.74 billion precinct incorporating a 400-berth marina as well as a substantial village, it lends itself to a multitude of tourism opportunities.

Here’s a selection of what’s on North Harbour’s doorstep for scuba enthusiasts:

The Wrecks: Offering great diving from two to 10 metres deep, The Wrecks comprises a cluster of sunken vessels on the western side of Moreton Island – only a short trip from North Harbour.

The ships were scuttled by the State Government from 1963 to provide a safe anchorage spot for recreational boat owners.

Now home to an amazing array of marine life, including over 100 species of fish such as wobbegongs, yellowtail, trevally and kingfish, The Wrecks are just waiting to be explored.

The Aarhus: The wreck of the Aarhus not only provides some sensational scenery, it has an intriguing history to match.

The three-mast ship sank in 1894 after setting sail from New York with a cargo of kerosene, glassware, alarm clocks and general merchandise.

The Aarhus carried a cargo of kerosene, glassware, wire bails and alarm clocks, with some of those timber artifacts under the sand still preserved by the kerosene they were drenched in.

The vessel struck a rock and the crew of 15 as well as the captain’s wife made for Moreton Island in lifeboats, where they landed safely.

Partially buried in the sand, the Aarhus accommodates a variety of species including pufferfish, sweetlips, sponges, wobbegongs, stingrays, lionfish, gropers and schools of cardinal fish.

Only accessible with a permit, this is a site for advanced divers.

The Cementco: A popular dive site, the wreck was a  67-metre hopper barge that worked in Brisbane’s Moreton Bay for many years transporting fossilised coral to be used in cement production.

Located upside down in 25 metres of water off Cape Moreton, its rusting hull provides shelter for reef fish as well as attracting trevally, batfish, mackerel and barracuda.

Cherub’s Cave: Often described as one of the Brisbane region’s best dive sites, Cherubs Cave is located on the exposed east side of Moreton Island.

A cave surrounded by rocky gullies, this site is for experienced divers. In winter, divers converge on Cherub’s Cave to see the  grey nurse sharks. They also get to enjoy watching large schools of fish and abundant marine life including turtles.

China Wall: Popular in winter when the conditions are calmer, China Wall is also located on the eastern side of Moreton Island.

At this time of the year, divers can also be lucky enough to be serenaded by humpback whales as they cruise past on their annual migration.

The site features caves, gutters, walls and a tall vertical outcrop.

The area is covered with a thick layer of kelp. Although it provides protection for crayfish,  lobsters and the like, it can also make navigation for divers challenging.