River re-route plea to stop strandings
The Matthew Flinders IV stuck in the sand at Bridport last week. Photo by Jeff Jennings.
May 29, 2024
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 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 river realignment. The money is also for a feasibility study for the Trent Water marina, contingent on the viability of the new river entrance.
Council Community and Development Director Rohan Willis said Council was working with MAST to source quotes from suitably qualified consultants for a scoping appraisal of the new river entrance feasibility and design component of the funding.
“We are anticipating this component will likely account for approximately 75-80% of the $600,000 funding,” Mr Willis said.
Minister for Transport Eric Abetz said once the design and construction documentation was completed it would “assist the Council to seek additional capital for these projects, given the estimated costs for a new port entrance is $45 million.”
When asked if the government could facilitate some dredging as a temporary solution, Mr Abetz said MAST has never been responsible for dredging the Bridport River for access purposes.
“Some sand removal was undertaken by the previous owner of Bass Strait Freight, when required,” Mr Abetz said.
“The port has always been limited to tide-restricted access, regardless of the level of dredging. The existing, relatively stable, channel does provide access for Bass Strait Freight on most high tides (84 per cent).”
Mr Harris said the current tidal situation meant BSF vessels could not access the river at full freight capacity for one week each month.
“For every 100 tonnes of freight we can’t carry it costs us $12,500, so if that’s four times a month we can’t go at capacity, then we are losing $50,000 a month. Over a year that all adds up and these costs are passed onto the Flinders Island community via increased freight rates.”