Frequently asked questions
The Boat Harbour Beach Community Facility is a new community asset that brings together the Boat Harbour Beach Surf Life Saving Club, Seekers Café and shared community spaces.
The upstairs will be referred to as the ‘Community Centre’, while the whole building will be referred to as the ‘Facility’.
It has been designed to support surf lifesaving, community connection, health and wellbeing, while creating a welcoming place for members, visitors and the wider community.
No.
While the Surf Club will call the facility home, it has been designed to become a community facility that, over time, can support a range of appropriate community activities.
The Surf Club will manage the facility on behalf of Council during the first five years while it establishes day-to-day operations and gradually expands community use.
Waratah-Wynyard Council owns the building during the first five years of operation.
During this time, the Boat Harbour Beach Surf Life Saving Club will manage the facility under a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU).
At the end of the five-year transition period, and provided we can remain financially viable, ownership is planned to transfer to the Surf Club.
Moving into a new community facility is a significant step for the Surf Club.
The five-year transition gives the Club time to establish sustainable operations, learn how the facility works, build experience managing the building and gradually expand community use.
It also provides certainty for both Council and the Club as the facility becomes established.
A Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) is an agreement that explains how two organisations will work together.
In this case, it outlines the roles and responsibilities of Waratah-Wynyard Council and the Boat Harbour Beach Surf Life Saving Club during the first five years of the facility's operation.
The intention is for ownership of the building to transfer to the Boat Harbour Beach Surf Life Saving Club.
Not yet.
The Surf Club's priority is moving into the new facility and establishing its day-to-day operations.
Community bookings will be introduced gradually as the Club settles into its new home.
Information about when bookings become available and how to make an enquiry will be shared once these arrangements have been developed.
The facility has been designed to support activities that promote community connection,
health and wellbeing.
As community use expands over time, suitable activities may include:
community meetings
workshops
training sessions
club activities
educational programs
wellbeing activities
school and youth activities
community celebrations
other community-focused events.
Each request will be considered on its own merits and needs to align with the purpose of
the facility.
The facility has not been established as a commercial function venue.
Activities that are inconsistent with its community purpose are unlikely to be suitable. This includes things such as:
commercial weddings
large commercial functions
activities that conflict with Surf Club operations
events that create unreasonable impacts on neighbouring properties
activities that are inconsistent with planning requirements.
The aim is to ensure the facility remains a welcoming, well-managed community space for everyone.
No.
Seekers Café is a separate business operating from the facility.
The café leases its space from the Surf Club and operates independently.
Everyone is welcome to apply to become a member, whether you live at Patuyala/Boat Harbour Beach or elsewhere in the region.
Members come from across the Northwest Coast, including Wynyard, Burnie, Yolla, Sisters Beach and other surrounding rural and urban communities.
Before membership can be finalised, all members must obtain a Volunteer Registration (Registration to Work with Vulnerable People/RWVP). The Club can help guide you through this process.
No.
There are many ways to be involved.
You might become a patrol member, gain lifesaving qualifications, use the gym, help behind the scenes, volunteer at events or simply join as a social member.
Every contribution helps the Club.
The new facility is a significant step forward for the Surf Club.
Rather than opening every aspect of the building immediately, the Club is taking a staged approach while it settles into its new home.
This allows time to establish systems, understand the building's day-to-day operation and ensure the facility is managed well.
As the Club grows into the facility, opportunities for community use will continue to expand.
The new community facility is one project within the broader Boat Harbour Beach Master Plan.
The Master Plan provides a long-term vision for improving public spaces, recreation opportunities and community facilities throughout the precinct.
The new building is an important step towards delivering that vision.
Please contact the Boat Harbour Beach Surf Life Saving Club.
Please contact Waratah-Wynyard Council.
Phone: 03 6443 8333