The future of some of Australia’s most iconic jetties continue to hang in the balance as the cost – and feasibility – of repairing them is assessed.
Earlier this year, the Grey Nomads reported on a new study which found that the economy in South Australia could lose over $103 million every year if jetties along that state’s coastlines ceased to exist.
Yet many of these iconic structures – much loved by grey nomads – may not be with us much longer.
The Tumby Bay jetty, for example, has been closed to the public since 2022 when severe weather contributed to the failure of piles and crosshead members.
The local council says it hopes to find a temporary solution while wider issues are looked at.
Looking good: Repair work in progress at Geraldton’s Francis Street finger jetty. PIC: City of Greater Geraldton
Expert engineers are testing to see if the jetty’s remaining load capacity is sufficient to safely support renewed public access. If the tests bring positive news, this would mean further repairs to piles and timber crossheads to provide an ‘interim solution’ to re-open approximately two thirds of the jetty’s length.
“We may have found an affordable, interim solution,” said Council of Tumby Bay mayor, Geoff Churchett.
“The jetty means a lot to us and if we can deliver this short-term fix in a safe, effective and affordable way, it’s worth doing,”
Meanwhile, in the WA town of Bunbury, even the fishing platform that replaced the original convict-built timber jetty – which was ‘deconstructed’ more than a decade ago – might be on its way out.
The new platform, which was converted from an existing service jetty, opened in 2020 but was closed early last year after it was found the structure’s underlying piles had degraded. There are growing fears it may never re-open.
There’s better news further up the west coast though, where the City of Greater Geraldton has announced work will get under way to extend the longevity of the Francis Street boat ramp and finger jetty facility located near the Esplanade.
“Since the finger jetty was completely rebuilt in 2016, the structure has been exposed to our infamous winds, the salty sea environment and countless boat launches by the nearly 2500 boat owners in the city,” said Mayor Jerry Clune. “This time around it’s the ramps that needs attention, so we’ll be replacing the old worn pre-cast concrete waffle slabs that form the boat ramps and undertaking minor renewals to the jetty structure … this critical maintenance is essential and will ensure the community can continue to use the facility for years to come.”
While it is widely accepted that jetties bring massive community benefit, it seems that – for many of them – the money required to ensure long-term survival is simply not available.
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Jetties, are a very important structure, to have in a coastal town for many reasons, it gives tourists and locals, a place to fish from, it encourages fish life attracted beneath it, it becomes a meeting spot for fishermen, locals as well as tourists, fishing boats moored create interest to both locals and fishermen, it encourages food businesses at the end of the piers, I recall when a kid, just about every coastal town I had been to, had a pier, and it was fun to walk along the pier, and chat with those fishing off the pier, and them showing us what they had caught… when someone goes visiting a town, one of the first places they go to, is the pier, because, that’s where the action is, the food shops, and the people, they buy their food, and either sit in the car, eat and watch people go by, or, sit outside the shops, and watch the world go by, they interact with each other, in situations like that, a pier in a coastal town, is a INVESTMENT, mainly for the town, take a pier way, and one loses all these things..