North Queensland's Hayman Island Resort welcomes thousands of guests every year to the Great Barrier Reef island destination. Also attracted by the beauty of the resort, cockatoos have eaten away at the timber balcony railings and balustrades

To combat the work of the troublesome cockatoos, the resort management called for stainless steel to replace the timber railings and balustrades on the fifteen year old building.

ASSDA major sponsor, Atlas Specialty Metals, supplied approximately 1,000 linear metres of grade 316 stainless steel including 76 x 42mm oval tube and 38mm diameter round tube in high polish to Mackay-based fabricator, Jeff Eales Sheetmetal for the project.

Stainless steel was used extensively for the balcony top rail and posts on all three levels of the pool wing accommodation block. Because many of the balconies are at the edge of the pool, oval profile tube was specified to prevent glasses or bottles being placed on the rail and then being bumped into the pool.

Also, to ensure guests receive uninterrupted ocean views, stainless steel wire rope was installed on each of the balustrades. This helped to eliminate the restricted views given by the previous timber material.

ASSDA member, Arcus Australia Pty Ltd supplied stainless steel wire for the balcony balustrades and ASSDA member Bridco supplied the wire fittings, turnbuckles and swages for the resort balustrading redevelopment.

Guests have commented on how the use of stainless steel complements the surroundings, improves the views and suits the building style.

Hayman Island Resort management are also impressed with the new stainless steel railing as it stops the bird problem, requires low maintenance and is easy to clean. All these qualities make the tropical ocean views much better.

This article featured in Australian Stainless magazine - Issue 30, January 2005.