Yarrabah jetty: Dindarr ferry operator says $11.5m facility will be ‘useless’ without fix
Yarrabah’s new $11.5m jetty has been called useless with a would-be ferry operator saying it will be inaccessible for at least 130 days of the year.
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YARRABAH’S new $11.5m jetty has been called useless with a would-be ferry operator saying it will be inaccessible for at least 130 days of the year.
Dindarr Pty Ltd director Peter McAllister won a million-dollar federal grant four years ago to buy two vessels to run a ferry operation at Yarrabah.
Those boats have been sitting at the Gold Coast for years waiting for the State Government to build its new 165m-long jetty at Gribble Point.
The State Government has since said no such ferry contract is guaranteed, with a tender process to play out before an operator is chosen.
Either way, Mr McAllister says nobody will be able to run the service unless serious changes are made.
“The fact is that nobody can get a boat in there – not in a consistent way, anyway,” he said.
“There’s water all the way up to the jetty but if you look at the chart, you’ll see there’s a huge shelf all the way out.”
A Transport and Main Roads spokesman said the jetty and its floating pontoon would be accessible about 72 per cent of the time for a 1.3m-draft vessel with a 0.3m under-keel clearance.
That figure jumped to 87 per cent accessibility for a 1m-draft vessel.
“Locals can also use the jetty to access dinghies moored to the rear of the pontoon,” he said.
“The jetty will be a great asset for the community and presents new transport, tourism and economic opportunities, if the community wishes to pursue them.
“While the jetty has been designed to facilitate a potential future ferry service, this proposal would need to be driven by private sector, in consultation with the local community.”
Mr McAllister said the State Government’s tidal estimates were ridiculous.
He said the problem would be at its worst in the afternoons when low tides locked boats out of Yarrabah for three to four hours.
“Yarrabah’s coastal flats are 45cm above those at Cairns, meaning even shallow-draft vessels like Dindarr’s can only get in when the tide is one metre or more,” he said.
McAllister has been sounding the alarm for years over jetty access, without result.
With the jetty nearly complete, he decided to test it.
“I couldn’t get closer than 120m at low tide,” McAllister said.
“The fact is the current Yarrabah jetty is too short for anybody to land passengers regularly unless the access problems are fixed.
“It’s not all day but it still makes it useless.
“Nobody is going to get a ferry that can get them in but can’t get them back out.”
Yarrabah Shire Council Mayor Ross Andrews said the State Government had given strong indication the jetty would provide an alternative route to Cairns for locals.
“We’re going to ensure we go through the proper process of engaging with TMR and ferry operators through an EOI (expression of interest),” he said.
“We will sit down and see what’s available.”
No quick fix
Mr McAllister said dredging was the fix but it was questionable whether it would gain community support.
Other options included a hovercraft service or to build a floating walkway at the end of the jetty that could be quickly dismantled and removed when cyclones approached.
That could create difficulties for elderly and disabled passengers.
Mr McAllister’s final proposal was to create a bus service to back up the ferry during tidal downtimes so travellers knew they could get home on time.
He estimated each of the options would cost about $500,000 to achieve.
The State Government appears unwilling to fund those costs.
“When complete, the new jetty will become a Yarrabah Aboriginal Shire Council asset,” a DTMR spokesman said.
“Any future upgrades or changes will be at the council’s discretion.”
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Originally published as Yarrabah jetty: Dindarr ferry operator says $11.5m facility will be ‘useless’ without fix
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