Marine and Safety Tasmania - infrastructure projects
by Marine and Safety Tasmania 21 Jun 2024 18:22 PDT
Coles Bay © Marine and Safety Tasmania
The facilities around the state continue to improve significantly. The transformation of Eddystone Point in the far northeast has been amazing, with MAST funding a new concrete walkway and water access.
Parks and Wildlife Service, which owns and manages the facility, has upgraded the car park area.
On the Northwest coast, a new, stepped concrete walkway is nearing completion in Burnie. This design, similar to the ones used by MAST at Rocky Cape and Stanley, allows for the rise and fall in tide along the north coast. Additionally, the Burnie City Council has upgraded the access to the ramp and carried out repairs to the adjacent popular fishing jetty. Another significant improvement is the enhancement of the ramp at Penguin for better use at low tide. Several years ago MAST met with local boaters to discuss improving the launching facilities there. As a result, funding was provided to repair and improve the high-tide ramp and to straighten the long low-tide access ramp.
At Coles Bay, the extension to Freemans Jetty is expected to be completed by mid-July. This will provide much-needed, additional berthing space and excellent shelter for the ramps and pontoon in westerly weather.
Further south at the Prosser River, repairs have been made to the geo-textile bag walls. The state Government initiated this project nearly 10 years ago to stabilise the river mouth. Over the past 30 years, three separate coastal engineering reports have advised the Council and Government that the Prosser River mouth would gradually migrate northwards, potentially endangering infrastructure such as the Tasman Highway adjacent to Raspins Beach.
Other major projects completed this financial year include the extension of the Pirates Bay walkway and the new ramp and walkway at Little Pine Lagoon in the highlands.
There are several major projects planned for the future. These include the replacement of the Sisters Beach walkway, maintenance work at Lewisham boat ramp, Geilston Bay boat ramp upgrade, the construction of a walkway for inland anglers at Lake Mackintosh and an extension of the popular Boomer Bay walkway. The funding for these projects has already been approved.