PROPOSED TMR BOAT LAUNCHING FACILITY AT YORKEYS KNOB
There is an urgent need for new boat ramp facilities in the Cairns region. In response the Department of Transport and Main Roads (TMR) are proposing to construct a major new boat ramp at Yorkeys Knob which will have significant consequences for the Yorkeys Knob Boat Club if it goes ahead.
The proposed Boat Ramp is shown below and comprises a large parking area and a mini harbour on the westside of the marina. The facility is accessed from Buckley Street, via a road way 500m long located on the narrow strip of land between the south shore of the marina and Half Moon Bay Golf Club. The west wall of the marina forms part of the facility which covers an area of 5.5ha.
The Boat Club will be affected in a number of ways:
1) Much of the existing vegetation along the access road strip will be removed. This vegetation looks good and acts as a wind break from the prevailing SE winds. Our privacy will be lost as the Marina and Club deck will be visible to trailer boaties travelling along the road.
2) An array of Golf Ball Catch nets up to 25m high is required along the side of this access roadway to prevent stray golf balls hitting people or vehicles. Currently 200m of nets are proposed, but these won’t capture all balls and it’s likely the extent of nets will be increased. The nets are unsightly and will be highly visible to Marina users, Club patrons and day tourists from cruise ships.
3)
The boat ramp car parking area sits at the level of the top of our marina walls. Activity in the ramp car park area will be visible to Club patrons. There will be issues with noise, security lighting and hooning.
4)
The amount of traffic in Buckley Street will increase dramatically. Passengers travelling to the ramp separately will try to utilise the Boat Club’s parking facilities - as they already do for the existing ramp. Those days where there are ideal conditions for boating on a weekend that coincides with a visiting cruise ship will be a nightmare.
5)
There are engineering issues with the proposed mini harbour and its interaction with the Club’s marina wall, it’s possible that construction of the mini harbour will cause a reduction in stability of our wall leading to partial collapse under extreme conditions.
6)
The Club is likely to suffer a reduction in visitor numbers. Patrons in the restaurant and on the Deck will be looking at a wall of golf ball catch nets and a giant car park as opposed to a natural shoreline fringed by Casuarinas, as is the present situation.
TMR claim that Yorkeys Knob is the best location for a major new ramp facility is based on a flawed selection process that downplays significant environmental impacts and does not properly consider the effect of the increased noise and traffic on residents of Yorkeys Knob. There are at least two alternative options for major new boat ramps, however it appears that Yorkeys Knob has been chosen because it is the most convenient location for trailer boaties, whose interests have been given precedence over that of the general community.
It is a large, ugly hard piece of infrastructure and manifestly excessive given the small scale of Yorkeys Knob, Half Moon Bay and Half Moon Creek. The natural values of the mouth of Half Moon Creek will be destroyed.
Yorkeys Knob Boat Club is a world class facility to have a beer, a meal or both. The quality of this experience will be seriously diminished if this inappropriate project goes ahead.
Yorkeys Knob Boat Ramp Action Group (BRAG) and others plan to mount a legal challenge to the project. Costs will be significant.
Help us keep the Club’s status as world class location. Contributions can be made at
https://www.mycause.com.au/page/234182/stop-the-boat-ramp-being-built-at-yorkeys-knob
Dr Michael Powell