Tourism-boosting marina on cards for Brisbane River seafood hub
One of Queensland’s leading fishing companies has submitted plans for a 51-berth Brisbane River marina; plans it says will unlock the city’s marine tourism potential.
If approved and built, Colmslie Wharves at Raptis’s riverside fish markets, about 6 kilometres east of the CBD, could accommodate vessels up to 35 metres long and offer on-water fuelling, wastewater facilities, car parks and staff amenities.
The project, to which the former Labor state government awarded $4 million as part of its Growing Future Tourism fund, would not be a boarding site for tourists. Rather, tourism operators would anchor their vessels there when not in use.
The proposed Colmslie Wharves marina.
At the time, then-tourism minister Michael Healy said the marina would be completed by this month, but it missed that mark with the development application only submitted to Brisbane City Council last week.
The project is now expected to be completed next year.
Raptis Investments chief executive Tim Beirne said the Brisbane marine tourism industry was underperforming, with fewer than 10 per cent of overnight visitors taking in a river, bay or island experience.
He said Colmslie Wharves was forecast to inject more than $100 million a year into the local economy.
“Colmslie Wharves will support and grow aquatic tourism by giving current operators the security of long-term berthing while also encouraging new entrants to the industry,” Beirne said.
“It will enable more investment, more jobs and more visitation to Brisbane, revitalising marine tourism in the River City, and our reputation as a premier waterside destination.”
In recent years, commercial vessels have been forced to vacate Dockside Marina at Kangaroo Point, coinciding with the loss of Eagle Street Pier as a result of Dexus’s $2.5 billion Waterfront Brisbane project.
The existing A. Raptis & Sons headquarters and seafood-processing factory, where Colmslie Wharves would be built.Credit: Tony Moore
Some of those operators relocated to the current Raptis dock at Colmslie or the Rivergate recreational marina at Murarrie, but neither were considered fit for purpose.
“Colmslie Wharves has been designed with environmental responsibility at its core, ensuring minimal impact on the Brisbane River and surrounding ecosystems,” Beirne said.
“It will also help to reduce unauthorised mooring of commercial vessels, mitigating any related environmental risks.
“Colmslie Wharves is the right solution in the right location and at the right time for Brisbane to step up and take its place among Australia’s leading waterside tourism destinations.”
Raptis planned to begin construction immediately after council approval, with the first vessels expected to berth at the facility next year.
But it would not mean an end to Raptis’s seafood business at the site.
“The proposed development will allow the existing fish-processing operation to continue unimpeded,” town planning firm Urbis says in its assessment report submitted to the council on Raptis’s behalf.
Upstream, a proposal to build a 28-storey tower behind the historic Shafston House, lodged with the council late last year, also includes a six-berth marina.
In 2019, the council opened a new $2.5 million pontoon near the Powerhouse at New Farm to provide better access to the Moreton Bay islands.
Start the day with a summary of the day’s most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. Sign up for our Morning Edition newsletter.