Yarrabah jetty completed: Search for ferry as fishermen catch barramundi from platform

Yarrabah’s new $11.5m jetty is finished but currently only being used as a very expensive fishing platform for local anglers.

YARRABAH’S new $11.5m jetty is finished but currently only being used as a very expensive fishing platform for local anglers.

A mammoth construction effort has wound up with the Department of Transport and Main Roads (TMR) now locked in negotiations with Yarrabah Shire Council.

The Cairns Post understands the two parties are still ironing out which political tier will be responsible for ongoing maintenance costs.

In the meantime, Yarrabah fishermen have taken to social media to share photos of the monster barramundi they have caught from the 165m-long pier.

Mulgrave MP Curtis Pitt said the jetty’s grand opening had been set to coincide with the Yarrabah Band and Cultural Festival in April, but its postponement left the launch date up in the air.

“The next thing we’re doing is putting the tender process together to look at who will be servicing the jetty,” he said.

“That work is under way now.

“In terms of an opening date, there’s nothing set for that yet.

“It’s been put off, by and large, because of what’s happening down south.

“No one is really talking about much else at the moment.”

A TMR spokesman said the “finishing touches” to the jetty and forecourt area, including balustrades and signage, would be finished by the end of March.

“We are liaising with Yarrabah Aboriginal Shire Council to formalise the jetty handover,” he said.

It is understood talks are happening with TMR and the Mandingalbay Aboriginal Corporation, which operates an eco-tourism operation at nearby East Trinity.

The organisation has big plans in place to build a $39m tourism venture complete with three 33m-tall observation towers, a 1.1km boardwalk and massive flying fox cables to give a bird’s-eye view of the natural landscape.

In the meantime, it is still running its own tours, overnight camping and the popular Deadly Dinner that ferries tourists from the Cairns CBD to East Trinity for a night of bush tucker fine dining.

It has its own small pontoon in place for the ferry but will likely get the green light to add a stop at the new Yarrabah jetty onto its tours.

The Yarrabah jetty still has its critics, with ferry and bus operator Dindarr Pty Ltd director Peter McAllister warning it would be inaccessible for at least 130 days of the year due to tides and water depth.

However, TMR has maintained it should be accessible 87 per cent of the time for a 1m-draft vessel with a 30cm under-keel clearance.

“The tides in Mission Bay were carefully considered during planning and delivery,” a TMR spokesman said.

“We changed the jetty design to include a pontoon in consultation with the community.

“The pontoon will move up and down with the tide, providing more opportunity for vessel berthing than a fixed gangway and platform.”

The truth will come out once an operator is finally named and services are launched.

“Locals can also use the jetty to access dinghies moored to the rear of the pontoon,” the spokesman said.

“The jetty will be a great asset 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 community.”

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Originally published as Yarrabah jetty completed: Search for ferry as fishermen catch barramundi from platform