King tide highlights need for Woy Woy Public Wharf rebuild
ANOTHER king tide forced Woy Woy Public Wharf underwater this week and highlighted the urgent need for the wharf to be rebuilt.
Central Coast
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ANOTHER king tide forced Woy Woy Public Wharf underwater this week and highlighted the urgent need for the wharf to be rebuilt.
From Tuesday to Thursday the wharf was submerged, making access difficult for people accessing ferry services.
It was a case of “here we go again” for Central Coast Ferries staff who have been calling on Central Coast Council to rebuild the deteriorated wharf for the past seven years.
Central Coast Ferries Operations Manager Tim Conway said plans for a new floating wharf were approved in 2012, however have never got off the ground.
“I have emails from 2010 until present expressing our concern of the condition of the wharf,” he said.
Mr Conway said the general line from council staff is “staff regularly inspect all of its public wharves and consider them to be safe for their intended use”.
Last night, the council released a statement saying it had adopted a concept plan for replacement of the wharf, and was seeking grant funding from the State Government.
Mr Conway said poles at the 40-year-old wharf had rotted and every time there was a king tide, access was extremely difficult and near impossible for people in wheelchairs and the elderly.
Mr Conway said some of the rot had been cut off structural poles and replaced with cement, affecting the structural integrity of the wharf, while he also noticed planks floating during this week’s king tide.
Central Coast Ferries has a Government contracted ferry route from Woy Woy to Empire Bay via Saratoga and Davistown, and transports more than 5000 passengers a month.
“It just shows the council are not interested in any progress there whatsoever,” Mr Conway said.
“The king tide happens half a dozen times a year but, that aside, it’s still an issue. It’s also not only king tides, low pressure systems also see more water and the wharf going under. Something has to be done now.”
He said 80 per cent of customers are elderly or disabled and, during the king tide, it took six adults to lift a man in a wheelchair onto the ferry.
Council stated it is “aware that when king tide events occur twice per year, Woy Woy Public Wharf can be covered in water for a brief period”.
“To improve the safety and usability of this facility, Council has adopted a concept plan for replacement of the wharf and associated infrastructure. These plans are being used to seek grant funding, with the latest application short-listed for consideration under the Restart NSW — Regional Growth — Environment and Tourist Fund. When successful in securing grant funding, design and construction for a new public wharf at Woy Woy will provide a fully accessible facility at all times.”