Urgent calls for State and Federal funding to redevelop Port Denison boat harbour as facilities become unsafe

The shire of Irwin is pleading for State or Federal Government funding to repair Port Denison’s much-loved boat ramp and jetty, after it closed to the public more than 18 months ago. The boat harbour usually provides recreational boating facilities and fishing opportunities for visitors and the local community. But boaters have suffered since the recreational jetty was fenced off and closed more than a year ago due to safety concerns. The finger jetty is unstable and the main recreational jetty is in disrepair. Irwin shire president Mark Leonard said inadequate parking and boat ramp disrepair were impacting local business, tourism and community satisfaction, and he urged the State and Federal governments to help fund the redevelopment. “We’ve been lucky enough to get funding for design work, but we are struggling to find sufficient funding for construction of new facilities,” he said. A study undertaken in 2021 by the Department of Transport determined the upgrades, which include three boat ramps, a floating finger jetty, an upgraded recreational mooring jetty, and upgraded car and trailer parking, would cost $5 million. But Cr Leonard said project costs were only going to rise. “No doubt, costs are increasing every year, significantly, particularly the last three or four years since COVID,” he said. Due to funding limitations, the redevelopment would be undertaken in three stages. The first stage includes the demolition of the recreational jetty, building the floating finger jetty and a section of the boat ramp. Mr Leonard said the upgrades would ensure the service jetty and recreational facilities met demands, but the priority was to replace infrastructure to make it safe. “There is no clear funding streams available at the moment through State or Federal government to be able to achieve any of the stage two or three works so we’ve just got to keep lobbying,” he said. “We’ve got 26 parking bays for trailers and cars and we’re catering for up to 100 people on good days. We’ve got two ramps where we really need a minimum of three ramps to cater for that volume of traffic and boat launching.” The urgent repairs will cost $1.18m, which will be covered by the shire, donations from Port Denison Volunteer Sea Search and Rescue and the Recreational Boating Facilities Scheme if a grant application is successful. Agricultural Region MLC Sandra Carr said she had spoken with the council to help progress the project and was working with the State Government to increase awareness of the issue. “The shire has a fantastic tourism and growth-focused vision for the Port Denison foreshore, and given the scale of their proposal, in early discussions I encouraged them to ‘stage’ the project to increase the likelihood of securing funding,” she said. Minister Assisting the Minister for Transport David Michael said the State Government was supportive of the redevelopment. “In December 2021, the State Government provided a grant of $137,435 to the shire for a planning study for a detailed design for the upgrade as part of round 26 of the RBFS,” he said. “The shire has applied for a further grant in the latest round of funding (round 29) of the RBFS, with the results of that application to be announced shortly.”