Jessica Leo: Why bold thinking needs to be a shore thing at Glenelg

GLENELG desperately needs a shot of bold thinking to legitimise it as a tourist hotspot and the ambitious jetty overhaul could be just the ticket to differentiate it from any other seaside retail strip.

Artist's impressions of a proposed Glenelg Jetty redevelopment by design firm Mott MacDonald, including new hotel to be built overlooking the water - aerial view

• $110m plan to reinvigorate Glenelg jetty

GLENELG desperately needs a shot of bold thinking to legitimise it as a tourist hotspot and an ambitious jetty overhaul could be just the ticket.

While the seaside destination goes some way to cater to families — with The Beachouse, the water spouts in Moseley Square and an ice rink the colder months — there’s little else to differentiate it from any other beachside retail strip.

Holdfast Shores has failed to deliver as a luxury destination with a seemingly endless roster of restaurants coming and going and, as long as apartment occupancy reigns supreme, it will sit there as a beacon of development that does little to benefit the local area.

By contrast, a hotel, marine research centre or aquarium and restaurants dotted along the jetty will differ on this front with a strong tourist focus which demands vibrancy to keep people coming back.

Yes, the shoreline will change dramatically and the views looking out from the square to the beach will be markedly different. But it will be a solid reason to hop on the tram and frequent the area.

An artist’s impression of a proposed hotel overlooking the water from a redeveloped Glenelg jetty. Picture: Mott MacDonald

Present-day Glenelg does little to rival other seaside strips in Adelaide, especially Henley Beach which has leapfrogged it in terms of aesthetic appeal.

And as an actual beach, we all know better stretches of sand and clearer waters than those at Glenelg. Pristine, untouched shoreline has never been its calling card.

The Liberals pledging $20 million towards the project will go some way towards crucial infrastructure works to widen, lengthen and underpin the jetty itself, but the revamp is contingent on similar federal funding and a hefty dose of private investment.

It’s an ambitious project but it’s this kind of big thinking we need to turn Glenelg from a run-of-the-mill seaside strip to a tourist mecca worth talking about — and visiting.

South Australia is underperforming in terms of attracting overnight stays. This will surely inject life into that flagging figure.

An artist’s impression of a proposed marine research centre at Glenelg. Picture: Mott MacDonald

The proposed sea plane and ferry docks would then be icing on the cake in terms of positioning Glenelg as a port of tourism rather than just a beach boulevard.

This development may then in turn attract the high-end retail and strong calibre of restaurants which Jetty Rd and Holdfast Shores so desperately need.

But let’s not get ahead of ourselves — this will all need money, and lots of it, plus a joint vision on the part of Holdfast Bay Council, incumbent state government, federal coffers and private investment to come to proper fruition.

Yes governments also need to spend on healthcare, roads and education.

But if we’re not attracting visitors to our state and capitalising on the tourism dollar we’ll continue to be outpaced by the other states and will be enjoying those nice roads, schools and hospitals in the face of staggering unemployment and a critically-ill economy.