Cottesloe pylon restored but diving era ends

The iconic sea pylon off Perth's Cottesloe Beach has been restored to its former glory but will no longer support climbers and divers.

The renovated structure has been deliberately angled to prevent climbing and coated with a surface that when wet, will not support bare feet.

Work on the reconstruction of the crumbling pylon was finalised last week five months after its spike toppled into the ocean during a storm.

The concrete pylon was built in 1936 as part of a failed bid to erect a shark-proof net off Cottesloe Beach. It was originally designed to hold a diving board and was heritage listed in 2003.

It has provided generations of West Australians with a diving platform and point of reference on the popular beach but that era officially ended yesterday.

Manager of Engineering Services for the Town of Cottesloe Geoff Trigg said the redesign of the pylon had been done to limit public liability claims, explaining that "we have had situations where people were diving into water one metre deep. We feel a lot more confident in terms of the liability issue now."

The reconstruction was financed with the help of a $122,000 Federal Government grant and a $50,000 contribution from Lotterywest after the State Government refused to fund the project despite months of wrangling.