Pelago makes its debut

History was made last Friday when the Pilbara’s first ever high-rise development Pelago West was officially opened at Karratha.

The nine-storey, $125 million complex features 114 one, two and three-bedroom luxurious apartments, with group facilities and retail shops.

Regional Development Minister Brendon Grylls said the project’s developer Finbar Group was the early champion of the Pilbara Cities vision.

“This is truly remarkable, 15 months from talking about it, to standing in it and celebrating, it is a fantastic achievement,” he said.

“Everyone thought this was too hard, (the) previous government never really fired a shot at doing something like this.

“When we first started, apartment living in Karratha was very hard for people to consider.”

Mr Grylls said the opening of Pelago West was an important step in the Pilbara Cities’ vision to transform the mining town into a thriving regional hub of 50,000 people by 2035.

“We are trying to reflect that this town and this region is almost the epicentre of world growth at the moment,” he said.

“We are determined that the community and the amenity keeps pace with the industrial development.

“The quality of this project shows where we are heading to and this is just a small start.”

Finbar managing director Darren Pateman said the project was the group’s first outside the greater metropolitan Perth area.

“Pelago West will set a new benchmark for the Karratha community and we are delighted to be the company to create this fresh living style,” he said.

“The Pelago West apartments will offer a superior living opportunity but have also been designed to withstand the tough Karratha conditions.”

Other features of the complex include a gymnasium, 25m pool, children’s playground, common entertaining and lounge areas, and undercover parking.

About 85 per cent of the 114 stage-one apartments have already been sold, including 19 to big miner Rio Tinto.

Rio chief operating officer Dale Harris said the apartments offered an alternative lowmaintenance set-up for the group’s residential employees.

“The purchase of these units builds on Rio Tonto’s commitment to maintaining a predominantly residential employee base for its coastal operations,” he said

“Settlement is scheduled for early June, with tenants moving in after that.”

Mr Harris said the units purchased were predominantly twobedroom, two-bathroom models, with a few one-bedroom, onebathroom designs.

The second instalment of Karratha’s high rise skyline, Pelago East, is set to begin construction in the next few weeks, featuring a further 174 residential apartments.

Pelago East is scheduled for completion in 2014. Mr Grylls said he believed the Pelago developments were so new and different to what was currently on offer, it would take some time for the Pilbara’s people to conceptualise the living style.