‘The new facility has had some significant changes … that could seriously impact the functionality and future of this very expensive NTG project’: Fears $50m Mandorah jetty disaster looming

Mandorah residents are demanding a better flow of information for the new ferry facility, fearing the million-dollar project could be a disaster.

Wagait Beach residents Roy Gosper, Leonie Gosper and Jack Ellis are fed up with the state of the Mandorah Jetty. They are unable to access the ferry because it is not disability friendly. Picture: Rick of Territory Image

MANDORAH residents are demanding a better flow of information for the new ferry facility, fearing the $50m project could be a disaster.

Members of the Wagait Beach Progress Association and residents say they are concerned about the current design and are not being properly consulted.

They have singled out a number of issues that they want to have input into.

“The new facility has had some significant changes since the final concept design in December 2020, that could seriously impact the functionality and future of this very expensive NTG project,” a resident told the NT News.

“The breakwaters have been noticeably reduced in size and moved, so that the inner-harbour is now about 30 per cent smaller than the original.

“The 2020 final concept design unusually, had the harbour entrance facing almost exactly southeast, where waves from strong dry-season south-easterly winds come from.

“Now it appears the inner-harbour has been made much smaller, and swells from the southeast would almost certainly affect the pontoon.”

The NT government says claims the facility would be 30 per cent smaller than the current facility were wrong.

Another resident was concerned a new disability access would only be usable at certain tides.

“There is a much-touted ‘lift’ that can only be operated by an authorised person,” they said.

“This means only the ferry crew, and possibly Wagait Shire Council employees, can operate the lift by appointment. As these people are usually busy with their real jobs, the lift can’t be relied on for old and infirm locals.

“It also looks like there will be a pedestrian-only walkway out to a small platform, that then splits into a wheelchair access ramp and a (presumably steeper) regular pedestrian ramp down to the pontoon.

“Nobody realised until recently that the access to the pontoon was going to be pedestrian-only, via a fairly narrow walkway. This will be inconvenient for locals carrying freight and bulky items.”

The NT government disputes the claims about the disability access.

A spokesman said one of the key objectives of the new facility was to specifically address disability access requirements, making it safer for ferry users and improving access for people with disability.

He said the initial stage of the project would include access improvements for people with disability through a new jetty with a lift and a parallel gangway – both of which connect to a dual berth, floating pontoon as well as two breakwater structures to provide protection from swells.

The construction tender will be released later this year.