Sarah Luke
GIPPSLAND Ports is reassuring the McLoughlins Beach community it is committed to rebuilding its jetty, provided funding is made available.
While the original jetty was built some 100 years ago when Europeans settled the inlet, transforming it into a bustling fishing village south of Woodside on Wellington Shire’s coast, the jetty was last rebuilt in 1985, and is now nearing the end of its useful life.
Remedial works have been undertaken on the jetty when needed, however its key structural elements, such as its timber piles and steel rail piles, are now deteriorating.
Gippsland Ports chief executive Chris Waites said the structure was now at a point that it needed complete re-building, with the most recent cost estimate about $1.5 million.
Relying almost entirely on external grant funding for major maintenance and replacement of its boating infrastructure, Gippsland Ports has submitted several grant applications for funding to rebuild the jetty, without success.
“Gippsland Ports has consistently informed state government over recent years about the declining condition of the jetty,” Mr Waites told the Gippsland Times.
“This advice and requests for funding continue.
“The Department of Transport has been provided with recent costs estimates, and is aware of the urgency of the project.”
In February, the authority held a meeting with Parks Victoria (the foreshore manager) and Wellington Shire Council staff to provide an update on the status of the jetty, advising it would need substantial investment in the next few years.
A council spokesperson said council had and would continue to advocate to Gippsland Ports and the state government in support of the community.
“Ultimately, any decision on whether to replace the jetty is in the hands of Gippsland Ports and subject to funding provision from the state government,” the spokesperson said.
In 2019, council wrote to Ports and Freight Minister Melissa Horne to review the condition of the jetty and provide money for its replacement.
Gippsland South MLA Danny O’Brien has also lobbied the state government for funding to rebuild the jetty.
“No funds have been forthcoming, but I have been repeatedly assured by Gippsland Ports that they will continue to maintain the jetty while it remains viable to do so,” he said.
“This is a government asset and it must be maintained.”
The state government has previously given the replacement a low priority, citing low usage.
While there are no immediate plans to scrap the facility, McLoughlins Beach’s tiny community of 104 permanent residents won’t be letting the jetty go without a fight.
The area relies heavily on recreational fishing in its inlet and the surf, with holiday houses in the area proof of its popularity with city-based fishermen.
Without the jetty drawing visitors to the area, there are concerns the community and businesses will suffer.
To residents, the jetty is also far more than a prime fishing spot; the community maintains the structure provides easy access for emergency services during boat capsizes and near drownings – including an incident in March where a man was unable to be revived after being thrown from his boat.
There have been two drownings in the McLoughlins Beach area since the beginning of the year.
There is significant grassroots support behind the jetty’s rebuild, with one passionate resident informing the Gippsland Times she was remarkably able to crowd-fund almost $30,000 over seven years to put towards a new jetty.
Mr Waites said the ports authority would certainly “welcome the [raised] funds as part of the overall project needs”.
“Gippsland Ports will decommission the jetty only if it becomes impossible to maintain or repair it to a safe standard, and funding has not been secured for a full re-build,” he said.
He emphasised it was a lack of funding, not a lack of action, that could result in the jetty’s decommissioning.
” … I believe there are some members of the community that feel Gippsland Ports is not committed to keeping the jetty in use,” he said.
“That is definitely not the case.
“However, if funding is not secured in the near future, closure of the jetty is a potential outcome until money becomes available.”
Gippsland Ports will carry out regular inspections of the jetty to monitor its condition and carry out maintenance repairs as needed, until it is deemed too hazardous to remain open.
The possible loss of the jetty is one headache of many for residents, who have also dealt with a public toilet closure and excessive cockle collection in the past year.
