Protect the wreck: City of Cockburn volunteers using megaphones to stop beachgoers damaging Omeo wreck

Volunteers equipped with megaphones are patrolling a Perth beach to deter inappropriate behavior around a popular shipwreck site. The City of Cockburn has deployed trained volunteers along the Coogee Beach foreshore to monitor public interaction with the Omeo shipwreck for the next five weeks.

Protecting the Omeo Shipwreck

The volunteers, registered with the Coogee Maritime Trail, will use megaphones to address anyone acting irresponsibly near the federally protected wreck. The initiative follows a successful trial period last summer and aims to safeguard the historic site.

Volunteers will be on duty from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. Monday through Saturday, and from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Sundays, until April 20.

City of Cockburn service lead sustainability and climate change Clare Courtauld explained the volunteers are focused on both education and protection. “Their role is to provide community education about the trail’s history, while helping protect the Omeo shipwreck by promoting responsible behaviour, including not touching or climbing on the historic wreck,” she said.

Standing on or removing parts from the Omeo shipwreck without a permit is a violation of Commonwealth heritage laws.

The city is trialing the use of megaphones to communicate with those mistreating the shipwreck. Volunteers have been provided with a script and guidelines for appropriate communication, such as, “Good morning snorkellers. This is the City of Cockburn. Can those of you standing/ climbing on the wreck please get off. Thank you.”

The Omeo shipwreck is a key feature of the Coogee Maritime Trail, providing a habitat for marine species and an underwater experience for snorkelers and divers.

WA Museum curator of maritime heritage Ross Anderson emphasized the site’s cultural significance and the need for its preservation. “Being in shallow safe waters so close to shore, Omeo is the most accessible historic shipwreck in the metropolitan area and can be easily visited by snorkelers and scuba divers,” he said. “Because it was wrecked over 75 years ago, in 1905, it is automatically protected under the Commonwealth Underwater Cultural Heritage Act.”

Anderson stated the museum supports the council’s efforts to protect the shipwreck for future generations.

Courtauld noted it is too early to determine if the megaphones are reducing inappropriate behavior. While anecdotal evidence suggests a reduction in climbing on the wreck over the past two years, the specific impact of the megaphones remains unclear.

A public consultation period is open online at ‘Comment on Cockburn’ until April 22. Following the consultation, the council will finalize a report on the trial, and if supported by the community, the megaphones will become a permanent part of the seasonal program.