Tumby Bay jetty a step closer to reopening after State Government offer

One of the state’s most iconic tourist destinations has been closed for two summers, but there could be light at the end of the tunnel.

The State Government has offered to pay half of an estimated $4.8m required to repair and reopen the dilapidated Tumby Bay jetty.

Infrastructure and Transport Minister Tom Koutsantonis said he hoped the offer would help Tumby Bay Council reopen the historic jetty as quickly as possible.

The council received the offer on Friday night, just days after it sent out a survey to its 1000 ratepayers telling them they would need to pay hundreds of dollars extra in rates for decades if they want the town to have a jetty again.

The popular coastal Eyre Peninsula holiday hotspot has been without a jetty for the past two summers after storm damage in 2022 raised concerns about the historic structure.

Only pelicans can access the Tumby Bay jetty. Picture: Picture Dean Martin

The survey asks residents if they supported a new jetty levy of between 10 to 15 per cent of their annual rates. If they vote yes, they are asked to choose between three options:

A NEW 220m concrete jetty with a construction cost of about $11m and ongoing costs of $1.82m between 2039-2060. This option comes with an ongoing 15 per cent levy to ratepayers.

REPAIRING the current jetty to its full length of 350m at a construction cost of about $14m and ongoing costs of $13.3m between 2039-2060. This option comes with an ongoing 15 per cent levy to ratepayers.

REPAIRING the current jetty to a shorter 220m length at a construction cost of about $6m and ongoing costs of $7.1m between 2039-2060. This option comes with an ongoing 10 per cent levy to ratepayers.

Mayor Geoff Churchett told the Sunday Mail the council would need to reconsider its costings in light of the government’s offer.

“We are over the moon with the offer but we have got other considerations that we need to take into consideration, such as ongoing costs with ongoing repairs and maintenance,” Mr Churchett said.

Tumby Bay mayor Geoff Churchett at Port Neill jetty. Picture Dean Martin

Tumby Bay Progress Association president Dion LeBrun said the survey was a damning indictment of the government’s previous lack of funding towards jetty maintenance across regional SA.

Mr LeBrun said the jetty was a state government-owned asset and most residents would have little choice but to reject the idea of a jetty levy, which would result in average rate rises of more than $1000.

“That’s out of the reach of an awful lot of people,” Mr LeBrun said. “Anyone who’s got a mortgage, young families, the elderly, pensioners, they can’t afford that.

“Landlords are going to have to pass that huge cost on to renters. It’s going to make living in our district frightfully expensive if it gets approved.

“That’s crazy stuff to ask a small number of people to fund that.”

Mr Koutsantonis said some members, former members and associates of the Tumby Bay Council were more interested in playing politics with the jetty than fixing it.

“I share residents’ frustration about the state their council-run jetty is in after years of the council failing to meet its contractual obligation to maintain it,” he said.

The State Government committed $20m over the next four years towards jetty maintenance across SA. Local Government Association president Dean Johnson has described this commitment as “a drop in the ocean”.