Mooloolaba harbour: Pavo Walker, Dirk Long back push to fix Mooloolah River mouth

A tuna fishery boss and one of the region’s highest-profile developers have backed a bid to urgently fix the entrance to Mooloolaba harbour as a major event heads south.

Commercial fishing operators and business figures have cast their support behind a push to fix the Mooloolaba harbour as a major yachting event sets sail for another port.

A community campaign has kicked off to improve the safety of the Mooloolah River mouth amid growing fears a life will be lost on the now treacherous bar crossing.

Protesting fishers dumped a pile of sand outside the Maritime Safety Queensland office in Mooloolaba last week in a bid to get the attention of the service.

It comes as key figures called for a longer term solution to the river entrance once renowned as a safe harbour which in recent years had become a nightmare for commercial and recreational boaties alike.

Mooloolaba Yacht Club commodore Tanya Kelly advised this week event organisers had canned the Mooloolaba Australasian Etchells Championship – which was due to celebrate its 25th year in 2022 – after the coastal bar competitors had to cross on the way out to the racecourse had been deemed unsafe.

The event had been due to be held from June 9-12 off Mooloolaba Beach but the spectacle was now headed to Southport in late-May due to the degraded conditions in the Mooloolah River mouth.

The Australian Etchells Championship off Mooloolaba are a spectacle.

International Etchells Australia representative Jan Muysken said the event had been the “best attended event for well over 20 years” with up to 50 boats attending.

“Due to the dangers of getting the yachts in and out of the harbour on low tide, there is the risk of damage to the yachts and injury to the crews,” Ms Kelly said.

The yacht club had since joined the campaign, led by Maroochydore MP Fiona Simpson who has called for the immediate contracting of a larger dredge to clear the shoals at the harbour entrance while a permanent solution was reached.

Ms Kelly said the event attracted 120-150 competitors a year to the marina plus their entourages and were a significant economic driver.

The Wharf Mooloolaba co-owner and prominent Sunshine Coast developer Dirk Long said the issue was something that “needs to be looked at”.

He said it had been an issue for commercial operators in the area for some time and from the marina’s point of view any safety issues with the harbour would affect the ability to attract visitors who often stayed aboard for a week or more at a time in Mooloolaba.

“Anything stopping anyone coming in the river is not good for any us,” Mr Long said.

Dirk Long from Evans Long. Picture: Melanie McNiven

Walker Seafoods Australia chief executive Pavo Walker said the harbour entrance was a safety issue and he said his fleet had lost fishing days and had boats run aground “which is a serious safety concern”.

The boss of Australia’s largest wild-caught tuna fishery in the country said he’d heard of operators shifting to southern ports due to the issues and the only reason Mooloolaba was dredged at present was because of the pilot boat base.

Mr Walker lamented what he said was a lack of respect given to the size of Mooloolaba’s fishing fleet.

“It’s a really important fishing port,” he said.

“It’s such an important piece of infrastructure.”

Just this week Mr Walker said he’d had three boats stuck out for three days until conditions improved enough to attempt to cross the bar.

He said the harbour itself was also in desperate need of dredging as it was becoming extremely difficult to manouevure boats.

Walker Seafoods Australia chief executive Pavo Walker.

“There’s been a real neglect of the fishing industry in general,” he said.

Maritime Safety Queensland general manager Kell Dillon last week said they were “well aware” of the shoaling at the entrance.

Mr Dillon said alternative dredge methods were being investigated.

Longer-term solutions are being investigated and Mr Dillon said a 60m extension to the Point Cartwright breakwater was on the table.

He said this would allow sand to be trapped and dredged before entering the entrance channel.

He said community consultation and environmental approval stages were expected over the next six months.

But concerns have been raised any extension to the breakwater could destroy the popular surf break at Point Cartwright.

Originally published as Mooloolaba harbour: Pavo Walker, Dirk Long back push to fix Mooloolah River mouth