‘It’s the talk of the town’: Locals waiting for clarity on when jetty will re-open

Tourism is already falling in the popular west coast destination, traders say, as state and local leaders remain at sea as to what to do with the town’s sketchy jetty.

More than a year after the Tumby Bay jetty was closed, there is still no clear indication when or if the scenic coastal town will see it reopened, with the local council still assessing options.

Since it was closed in October 2022, local businesses have also reported a decline in customers throughout the year, with less people visiting the popular fishing town.

Mayor of Tumby Bay, Geoff Churchett told the Sunday Mail that he had engaged consultants to look at “different options” for a jetty because repairs would not be viable.

The Tumby Bay jetty has been closed since October 2022, after wild weather significantly damaged the structure.

“Obviously it’s going to be really expensive to replace with a new jetty because it’s such a large jetty but we’ll look at all the options that are going to be available to us and go from there,” he said.

“Going off of the engineers’ reports that are almost 12 months old, there’s a very strong possibility that repairs would not be viable by now,” he said.

“So we’d be looking at, probably a new jetty and in saying that, we are guided by the engineers reports.”

Over the past year, the closure of the jetty has impacted the local economy, with businesses reporting a decline in customers and visitors to the town.

Tumby Bay Caravan Park has noticed a decline in customers in recent months and says the closed jetty is affecting tourism in the town.

After assessing the records, owner of the Tumby Bay Caravan Park, Griff Loughnan said the occupancy over the past two months have been lower that the past two years.

“Unfortunately the jetty’s closure is a contributing factor leading to some guests choosing not to stay in Tumby Bay as evidenced by comments from guest enquiries,” he said.

“In many ways, it forms part of the town’s identity and attraction for the town. Tumby’s special appeal includes scenic walks, fishing and other marine attractions would clearly be enhanced by a functioning jetty.

“The September numbers were the same as last year, October were a little bit down and November were significantly down, so we’ve definitely noticed a drop.”

The council has applied for funding from the government specifically targeted at fixing jetties across SA, but understood that it would not be enough to fix it.

A spokesperson for Infrastructure and Transport Minister Tom Koutsantonis said it would continue to work with the Tumby Bay Council but did not say if the government would help fund a new jetty.

“The Tumby Bay council has been publicly calling for the state government to step in and fund repairs to its jetty, which has not been adequately maintained by council in line with its long-term lease agreement,” a spokesperson said.

The Tumby Bay council informed the Government that its position has changed, and it now wants a new replacement jetty built for its community, to be funded by state taxpayers.

“The government will assess all applications received under the grant program, and continue to work with Tumby Bay council about its best way forward.”