Port Stanvac foreshore cleared for public use but still off limits

Port Stanvac’s “beautiful” coastline is safe for public use and locals are demanding to know why it’s still officially off limits.

Almost two decades after the Port Stanvac oil refinery closed in 2003 and eight years since it was demolished, locals are demanding to know why the foreshore is still off limits to the public.

The foreshore closure remains in place despite it being deemed suitable by the Environment Protection Authority for recreational use and handed back by ExxonMobil to the state government.

Locals say they want to enjoy their beach and the coastline, while divers want to legally explore the artificial reefs around the sawn-off jetty pylons.

And Onkaparinga Council also wants new life breathed into the rest of the 234ha former refinery site, which is still in ExxonMobil’s hands.

The council’s strategy and engagement director Julia Grant said it offered “an outstanding community and economic development opportunity for the south”.

Chloe, Meadow and Andrew Kowalczuk at O'Sullivan Beach where Port Stanvac remains closed. Picture: Matt Loxton

“There’s a fantastic opportunity here to provide better connection to the foreshore and greater amenity through carparking and trail networks … a place for the whole community to enjoy,” she said.

Ms Grant said the site was “one of the last remaining parcels of land in the south available for significant development” and landowner ExxonMobil was working “to remediate the site to a standard suitable for future industrial use, which would support the growing demand for employment land in our area”.

“We want to see a masterplanning exercise take place in partnership with the state government … (and) ensure open space and access to the coast are retained through any development,” she said.

O’Sullivan Beach resident Chloe Kowalczuk, who runs the Sullies Social Facebook page, has long campaigned for public access.

She said above all she wanted to see a continuous coastal trail connecting her local beach to Hallett Cove via Port Stanvac, “a beautiful little slice of coastal area”.

“It’s a shame that you can’t access it,” she said. “Now that it’s in the government‘s hands they’re not making any sort of commitment to open it to the public. So we’re at a standstill. We’re no longer waiting on the private company ExxonMobil, they’ve handed it over.”

The Port Stanvac foreshore with remnants of the jetty in the background. Picture: Chloe Kowalczuk

But the state government was tight-lipped on any progress, with a spokesman saying only that the infrastructure and environment departments were “in discussions regarding future management options for the foreshore area of the refinery site”.

“As those discussions are ongoing, no further details are available at this stage,” he said.

ExxonMobil Australia confirmed a project was underway to remediate the broader site to a standard suitable for future industrial use.

An EPA site contamination audit report for the foreshore, completed in February last year, stated it was suitable for “passive recreation including walking/riding, use of the beach and access to the Gulf St Vincent, including swimming and recreational fishing”.

Labor’s Amanda Rishworth, the federal MP for Kingston, said state Environment Minister David Speirs told her the beach “up to the high water mark” had been returned to the state government but required some maintenance.

“The opening of the beach at Port Stanvac is well overdue,” she said. “The local community deserves access to their beach and coastline. Residents have made their voices heard by signing petitions, posting online and attending community meetings. It is time the government listens.”