Strolling along Australia’s multitude of magnificent jetties is as much a part of the grey nomad seaside town experience as visiting a fish and chip shop … but many of the historic structures are standing in financially troubled waters.
Decades of being pounded by the oceans has taken its toll on these much-loved timber constructions and some now face an uncertain future. In Western Australia, Carnarvon’s iconic One Mile Jetty has been closed since 2017 because of structural damage.
With no firm plans as to how the $42 million repair bill could be met, Carnarvon Heritage Group chairman Tom Day recently admitted the jetty may never fully reopen.
“We’ll probably never run the train again, but we’re looking at a walk — and fishing — only structure,” he said.
Further south, a massive chunk of Esperance’s 82-year-old timber jetty crashed into the Southern Ocean back in 2017. The dramatic collapse sparked a huge debate about the future of the structure.
The council wanted to replace it with something more durable so that ongoing costs did not become a drain on ratepayers, while traditionalists argued it could be financially viable to restore the timber structure. Compromise was reached and a concept design for the replacement Esperance Tanker Jetty has now been finalised by architects. The 400-metre structure will be built in the same alignment as the original 1934 structure, and include a historical section, a fishing section, a dive platform and a widening at the seaward end.
The only other timber jetty remaining in Western Australia is in Busselton and that was itself at a survival crossroads itself just 10 years ago. After much soul searching, it was decided to press ahead with a $27 million restoration, but the community is now left with an ongoing annual bill of $800,000 to maintain the 152-year-old structure. The project though has been deemed a success as travellers have flocked to what is billed as the longest timber jetty in the southern hemisphere.
“The Busselton Jetty has about 470,000 visitors a year,” said Busselton Jetty Chief Executive Officer, Lisa Shreeve. “Without the jetty there would be 110 fewer jobs in Busselton and $10 million is indirectly injected into the economy from the jetty.”
And in other good news for jetty-loving grey nomads, the Northern Territory’s Mandorah Jetty which was originally constructed in the late 1960s and was badly damaged by Cyclone Tracy in 1974 has just been slated for a $50 million replacement. Construction of the new jetty has been fast tracked and is now is due for completion in 2022.
• Do you love to walk along – and perhaps fish off – Australia’s jetties? Are you prepared to pay for the privilege? Where is your favourite? Comment below.
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After a public outcry, Hervey Bay’s Urangan Jetty was saved/rebuilt and is now a worthwhile tourist drawcard. Fishing, strolling and a nice park precinct have meant it is a tourist and local favourite. Restaurants and markets help the atmosphere. Well worth the effort and cost for the overall community benefit
We visited Busselton Jetty last November & it was one of the highlights of our lap. Loved it & the aquarium was well worth the money. On a limited budget but more than happy to pay!
We walked most of the jettys in southern W.A & were disapointed that Esperance jetty was inaccessible.
We visited Carnarvon in 2012. The train trip out to the end of the jetty was a special highlight for us. We were even allowed to take our little dog on the train. We witnessed a Chinese fisherman pulling in a shark on his line at the end of the jetty. There were a couple of aboriginal children swimming in the shallows on the sandbank half way out .
Hope it can be saved.
We live in Hervey Bay and due to the public outcry our Iconic Pier at Urangan has been repaired and rebuilt. Tourists and locals flock to the Pier and surrounding precinct.
Hope you are able to sway authorities to rethink their decision.
After years of closure, Long Jetty at Port Welshpool in South Gippsland has recently been rebuilt and is now open for public use.
As a rate payer in Busselton, I am quite happy for some of our rates going towards the upkeep of the jetty. We are lucky cyclone Alby only took the section of jetty without the rail line.
3/4 of carnarvon jetty has now been demolished after damage by cyclone Seroja, the remainder 1/4 mile is in poor shape and closed to access. many features of Carnarvon have been ignored by state govt. we need help, we need lobbyists, marketing etc