High hopes stranded workers will soon start dredge

A council officer says ‘all we can do is hope that they do arrive’.

BOATIES may soon breathe a sigh of relief as workers who were stranded in New South Wales are set to arrive into the region today to make a start on dredging Molongle Creek.

Residents have been pushing for dredging works at Molongle Creek, 15km from Gumlu, for several years.

During low tide, there is no access between the boat ramp and Cape Upstart, which means VMR cannot access the area during emergencies.

When a dredge arrived at the boat ramp in early September, there were high hopes their calls had finally been answered.

However, the dredge is yet to be used, meaning there is still only a small window for residents and visitors to access offshore waters in the Burdekin area.

Molongle Creek Caravan Park owner Tony Black hoped dredging work would begin soon as the park was suffering from the lack of access. Picture: Laura Thomas

Speaking in October, Whitsunday Regional Council's infrastructure services director Matthew Fanning said the delay was because of coronavirus as the team set to carry out the work were stuck in New South Wales.

After two months of inaction from a dormant dredge, Division 5 councillor Gary Simpson asked about the project's progress at the ordinary council meeting in Proserpine today.

Mr Fanning said three workers were due to arrive this afternoon with a further two arriving later this week.

He said the dredging would begin "shortly after" the full crew had arrived.

However, Mayor Andrew Willcox raised concerns about the certainty of the progress.

"Are we talking to the same guy … or have we found a new guy to talk with?" he asked.

Mr Fanning said the works would be completed under the same contractor.

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"All we can do is hope that they do arrive today," he said.

The council also have a "backup" option in the form of a long reach excavator that would help dredge the area in the meantime.

Using the dredge, the works will take about three to four weeks to complete.

The council also approved a new 42-hectare dredging facility in September to help improve boat access in the area.

The project, headed by the Department of Transport and Main Roads, will involve the construction of a land-based based facility on Days Rd that will allow for the storage, settling, drying and rehandling of dredged material.

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