1909
VOL. 116
NO. 19
|
WEDNESDAY MAY 29, 2024
|
PRICE $1.50 INC GST
• The Matthew Flinders IV stuck in the sand at Bridport last week. Photo by Jeff Jennings.
River re-route plea to stop strandings BY RACHEL WILLIAMS A NEW entry to the Bridport River was urgently needed according to one business owner who says the status quo is costing $50,000 each month. Bass Strait Freight owner David Harris confirmed the Matthew Flinders IV had been stuck in the sand twice last week and he’s calling for a faster solution to alleviate the problem. A Bridport Foreshore Master Plan, first conceived in 2018 and finalised in 2022, set out a three-phase plan that included a
new port entrance, commercial wharf and marina to be rolled out in phase three. Consultation on the first phase - a new $5 million, 126m public jetty, at either Croquet Lawn Beach, Goftons Beach or adjacent to the existing Old Pier - took place earlier this year. Marine and Safety Tasmania is expecting to receive the consultant report within weeks before a recommendation will be provided. But Mr Harris said a pier would have little economic benefit compared to a new port entrance. He wants to cut through Crown Land to Barnbougle Beach, just west of the
new Barnbougle tourism development. “The very obvious first thing to do is get the cutting in to shorten the channel by two thirds and put the entrance into deeper water,” Mr Harris said. “With the entrance further east and the old channel filled in, the main beach will double in length. This would transform Bridport’s beach front for the better and set the harbour and town up for further development. “The existing boat ramp would remain and, because the tide will not be running past, it would not silt up every few months
Your locally owned and operated real estate agency specialising in North East Tasmanian properties If you are looking for a local agent who lives and breathes real estate in the North East, look no further than Jodie Faulkner and the team at Water/House Real Estate.
Residential . Commercial . Agricul tural . Property Management
as it does now. “This is a priority for us – we would be prepared to do it ourselves on a fixed price contract to Government and we estimate the cost would be about $3.5m.” But his idea is unlikely to see action anytime soon and the government says the costwould be significantly higher – with no funding actually committed yet State Government funding of just $600,000 was allocated to Dorset Council to investigate and prepare engineering design and construction plans for the T STORY CONTINUES ON PAGE 3.
Jodie Faulkner 0419 223 031
jodie@waterhousere.com.au
Sam Olah 0413 878 714
sam@waterhousere.com.au
Kathleen Gee 0466 679 668
kathleen@waterhousere.com.au Shop 5, 89 Main Street, Bridport