Port Augusta’s jetties and wharf are in disrepair and closed, leaving fishing and tourism struggling
The only two jetties and remaining wharf are all closed for public access, leaving local business owners unsure of their future as the town remains dead quiet.
SA News
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Port Augusta business owners are struggling to make ends meet as they make desperate attempts to attract people to the coastal town with the closure of both jetties and the main wharf.
At the start of the year, Port Augusta’s east side T jetty was demolished, and the westside jetty was closed for safety reasons.
A significant section of the town’s heritage-listed wharf was also closed off in February – deemed a public risk by Port Augusta CEO John Banks.
Lifelong resident and local business owner of tackle shop “Top O The Gulf Marine” for 27 years, Robin Sharp is struggling to tell fishers where to go.
“There’s a lack of fishing opportunities … people ask the same question everyday (where do I go to fish?) and I think ‘not this question again,’” Mr Sharp said.
In a desperate plea for change, Mr Sharp wrote to Mr Banks and member for Stuart Dan Van Holst Pellekaan.
The letter stated the most commonly asked question in his store is “where can I go fishing”, ahead of listing 16 places that are no longer available for public access including the jetties and other nearby fishing amenities like the Old Salt Works.
“So the question I ask you is where do we send land-based fishers in Port Augusta …
To be quite honest I am struggling to suggest where recreational land-based fishers can legally
fish here at Port Augusta,” it reads.
Mr Sharp said the closure of many of the town’s water-based assets has resulted in a lack of customers for all businesses across the town.
When asked whether he thinks his business will survive the next few years, Mr Sharp said “you don’t have to be a genius to work out what could happen in the future”, given his business relies on fisherman and fishing-related tourists.
He said tourists often end up moving to other locations with jetties open for access, “and that’s a real loss for Port Augusta”.
Other businesses are suffering as a result of the amenity closures too. A worker from Frank Seafood and Chicken said the lack of foot traffic really concerns him.
“Everything is very very quiet here,” he told The Advertiser.
Engineers estimate the heritage-listed wharf faces a repair bill of $11 million.
The council is reviewing the 2018/19 budget allocation for marine repair and maintenance, which was $276,000.
In March, the council appealed to the State Government to intervene and fund repairs and an upgrade.
Mr Banks said he was working with the Department of Transport and Infrastructure in the hope the town would get a much needed jetty refurbishment.
“I think when tourists or locals visit any place … the jetty is the first point of call,” he said.
He said he was working with South Australian Tourism Commission to market the “lifestyle attributes” the town has to offer.
The jetty plan is in development and the public can make submissions via an online survey at yoursay.sa.gov.au