Fisherman Bay strikes novel deal with Barunga West Council
They became a community when they banded together to keep big developers at bay. Now this seaside settlement is celebrating a new milestone.
Lifestyle
Don't miss out on the headlines from Lifestyle. Followed categories will be added to My News.
Community spirit has been redefined in a tiny coastal settlement on Yorke Peninsula.
Shack owners at picturesque Fisherman Bay, near Port Broughton, have joined with their council in a novel project to deliver $20m worth of much-needed infrastructure.
The small community, established in 1920 on land leased from a local farming family, has been run for decades by a residents’ group, the Fisherman Bay Management Authority.
The authority’s moves to subdivide the community’s 66ha site – and enable 400 shack owners to have freehold title – hit a snag in 2017 when planning permission was withheld until essential infrastructure upgrades were undertaken.
These included new sea walls, better roads, improved stormwater drainage and an operational sewerage system.
With little money to fund the upgrades, the authority entered into a deal with the Barunga West Council.
It has involved the council providing the required infrastructure in return for looking after the money received for the freehold titles.
Work began last year on connecting the settlement to a community wastewater management system (CWMS) at Port Broughton.
On Thursday, a sod-turning ceremony was held to mark the start of the $20m infrastructure upgrades required by the State Planning Commission.
The six-year project will be managed by South Australian civil engineering company Bardavcol. It is expected to deliver the equivalent of 230 full-time jobs.
Barunga West Council chief executive Maree Wauchope said shack owners were signing contracts for freehold just as the infrastructure project was getting under way.
“After decades of uncertainty, the largest investment ever seen in one of South Australia’s most iconic shack communities will shape the future of Fisherman Bay, providing certainty for residents and generating lasting benefits for the wider region,” she said.
Fisherman Bay Management Authority chairman David Hosking said the wastewater connection which would replace ageing septic tanks was the most important piece of work being undertaken.
“People now have their land, their shacks and a sewer system,” he said.
Mr Hosking said the Fisherman Bay partnership was established 49 years ago “because a developer wanted to come in and knock everything down and develop it”.
“Everyone would’ve lost their shacks,” he said.
“I think all of those original partners would be very pleased looking down on us today to see that already we’re up to 30 per cent of the shack owners here who own the dirt that their shack is on.
“And that’s a really big thing because it gives people continuity and certainty of ownership.”
Mr Hosking said having freehold also meant shack owners had assets which would increase in value.
“It gives them the ability to invest in that asset, knowing damn well that their home is their castle and they own the land underneath them,” he said.
“I think that’s very important and that’s actually the prime objective of this entire development.”
Mr Hosking said he expected the infrastructure project and freehold titles would stimulate growth.
“We are going to see a lot of development in this whole area,” he said.
“It’s going to be quite transformational for this community because suddenly you’re going to have 400-odd sites here which won’t be shacks anymore.
“They’ll be homes. People will feel free to invest in those homes because they know that they have security over their site.”
Barunga West Mayor Leonie Kerley said Fisherman Bay freehold titles had been an issue for the 22 years she had been on council.
“I know how special Fisherman Bay is to so many people,” she said.
“To some it’s home, to some it’s their holiday destination.
“And for some it’s a day trip or an afternoon drive to visit what is a very unique town with a beautiful bay.
“I know this will continue for so many people, but with better infrastructure and facilities.”
Third-generation shack owner Shannon Hewett said: “We are excited to see that the freeholding process has finally gone through after many years of uncertainty, and we look forward to the town upgrades.
“We were fortunate to purchase the neighbouring property recently giving us more room to move.
“We use the shack regularly for short breaks as we live close by. We love the laid-back shack lifestyle and plan to keep our shacks as they are and maybe develop in the future.”