Yarrabah Jetty: Drone footage reveals progress on Aboriginal community’s dream project

A spirit of change is brewing in Yarrabah as the final platforms are laid on a $11.5m jetty that will open the Aboriginal community to the world. PICS + VIDEO

A SPIRIT of change is brewing in Yarrabah as the final platforms are laid on an $11.5m jetty that will open the Aboriginal community to the world.

Construction crews are nearing the end of a new 165m jetty about a kilometre northwest of the township at Gribble Point – unmistakeable physical evidence that Yarrabah is on the move.

The community is ready to finally develop a thriving cultural tourism industry with new local jobs and ferry visitors from all over the world coming across the inlet.

Mayor Ross Andrews said the jetty was the most important piece of infrastructure Yarrabah had seen in years, and locals were ready to embrace it.

Construction work is well underway on a brand new $11.5m concrete jetty off the northwestern point of the indigenous community of Yarrabah. Picture: Brendan Radke

“It is evidence that you can balance economic opportunity with cultural heritage,” he said.

“It’s going to be a game-changer.”

Yarrabah is a 45-minute to an hour drive over the hill and across to Cairns.

New ferry services will reduce that to 25 minutes and open up easy travel for both incoming tourists and outgoing Yarrabah residents who want to pursue education, work and recreational activities in Cairns.

Yarrabah mayor Ross Andrews has been working with the Queensland Government for years to make the project a reality. Picture: Brendan Radke

Yarrabah is not the only place that will benefit.

The Mandingalbay Yidinji Aboriginal Corporation’s new eco-tourism project is up and running with cultural tours, overnight stays and the popular Deadly Dinner.

Mulgrave MP Curtis Pitt said there was a lot more waiting in the wings.

“They have done terrific work to build that venture up to where it is,” he said.

“But the long-term plan for East Trinity is very impressive.

“You only need to look at the plan for towers and zip lines to see how impressive it is going to be.”

Artist's impressions of the proposed Mandingalbay Yidinji eco-cultural infrastructure tourism project at East Trinity reveals plans for a nature-based tourism venue complete with function facility, educational establishment, shop, boardwalks and a zip line tour. PICTURE: SUPPLIED

Water access will be crucial to the endeavour reaching its full potential – and plans are under way to ensure all of the area’s tourism offerings get a bite.

“There’s going to be opportunity for people to go via the water to the Mandingalbay Yidinji experience, then around the corner to Yarrabah for a taste of their local art centre and to experience the largest mainland Aboriginal community in Australia,” Mr Pitt said.

“It makes perfect sense.

“Tourism is an enormous part of why we focused on the jetty and why I funded it (as treasurer) several years ago.”

The resulting ferry service to Cairns is expected to increase the job prospects of the community's residents, while also boosting indigenous tourism opportunities in the town. Picture: Brendan Radke

The numbers show why the jetty is so important.

According to the 2016 Census, Yarrabah had a 45.4 per cent unemployment rate compared to a 6.9 per cent national average.

It was also significantly higher when the non-Indigenous population was taken out of the mix.

There are simply not enough jobs, and a higher education shortfall only exacerbates the issue.

A crane barge is still erecting new pylons for the 165m jetty. Picture: Brendan Radke

“When you look at the statistics, roughly one in three people in Yarrabah own a car to get up over the hill,” Mr Pitt said.

“That one-third doesn’t mean all of those vehicles are actually in an operational state.

“So for people to get either senior high school education, other education or employment, this is very important.”

Moves are afoot to get a bigger and better shopping centre to service the population, and the Yarrabah Leadership Forum is committed to working with the private and corporate sectors on new ventures – but tourism is the chief opportunity.

Practical completion is expected to arrive next month. Picture: Brendan Radke

“We don’t really have any big industry in Yarrabah,” Cr Andrews said.

“We’ve got to try to be courageous and brave in terms of exploring what does industry look like.

“We’re excited about working towards some really ambitious projects, and the jetty is the fruition of one of the projects on our list.”

Cr Andrews said practical completion of the jetty was expected next month but its first major test would come in April next year when Jess Mauboy headlined the Yarrabah Music and Cultural Festival.

A dinghy carrying construction workers comes across to Yarrabah from the other side of the inlet. Picture: Brendan Radke

It had been planned for next month but was pushed back due to border lockdowns.

The jetty will not give complete tidal access but Mr Pitt said “a very high percentage” was anticipated with the addition of a floating pontoon, which will also be available to local fishermen – vitally important for this community of saltwater people.

“People in Brisbane do it all the time, they live in Bulimba and work in the city so they hop on the City Cat and go into Brisbane,” Mr Pitt said.

“It’s the same thing.

“It happens in our capital cities and there’s no reason it can’t happen in Cairns.”

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Originally published as Yarrabah Jetty: Drone footage reveals progress on Aboriginal community’s dream project