Benwell Road Boat Ramp Project

Benwell Road Boat Ramp Project

Introduction Townsville s existing boat ramp infrastructure for offshore access is over 30 years old and grossly inadequate for the region s needs. Boating and fishing are central to Townsville s lifestyle. The Townsville community spends more on fishing and boating than it does on holidays. The proposed Benwell Road Boat Ramp offers an optimal solution to meeting the needs of the North Queensland community. Townsville City Council is requesting that the Queensland Government endorse the delivery strategy for the Benwell Road Boat Ramp facility, and provide land reclamation and funding support for stage one of the project s construction. Specifically, funding for stage one is proposed as: Transport and Main Roads: provision of seaside facilities (8 ramps and 2 pontoons), estimated at $2 million; Queensland Government: reclamation to provide land; Queensland Government: 50% contribution to landside facilities (estimated at $3.3 million); and Townsville City Council: 50% contribution to landside facilities (estimated at $3.3 million).

Contents PAGE 1. TOWNSVILLE S BOATING LIFESTYLE 4 2. BOATING ACCESS AT CRISIS POINT 6 3. BENWELL ROAD BOAT RAMP THE SOLUTION 7 4. AN OPTIMAL LOCATION 8 5. A SOLUTION FOR THE COMMUNITY 10 6. PROJECT COST AND TIMING 12 7. PROJECT FUNDING 13

1. Townsville s Boating Lifestyle Fishing and boating are at the heart of Townsville s active family lifestyle. Most Townsville weekends are suited to getting out and about, whether it be fishing in the creeks and estuaries or cruising the bay and the reef. This enviable lifestyle is one of the main reasons that the city attracts so many new residents. From 2001 to 2008 Townsville recorded the fifth largest numerical increase in population in Australia outside of non-capital cities. The importance of fishing and boating is confirmed by the fact that the north has the highest proportion of boat owning households in Queensland. In Townsville, this proportion is significantly higher than the Queensland average (Table 1.1). In the neighbouring shires of Hinchinbrook and Burdekin, almost one in two households own a small boat. Local Government Area Households with Registered Boat under 8 metres Burdekin (S) Hinchinbrook (S) Townsville (C) Cairns (R) Sunshine Coast (R) Gold Coast (C) Logan (C) Ipswich (C) Brisbane (C) One in 2.4 households One in 2.5 households One in 6.5 households One in 6.8 households One in 7.6 households One in 9.2 households One in 11.4 households One in 12.8 households One in 41.8 households Townsville s All Queensland Average One in 8.4 households Source: Queensland Department of Main Roads and Transport, ABS 3218.0, Queensland Department of Infrastructure and Planning, AECgroup 4

Townsville s small boat ownership is driven by recreational fishing, with barramundi, mackerel, mud crab and reef fishing considered amongst the best in eastern Australia. Once on the water, fishing locations are relatively accessible and options are diverse enough to allow a day out under most weather conditions. However under the strain of a booming population and 30 year old infrastructure, boating in Townsville is in danger of becoming the preserve of the wealthy and the fortunate. Townville City Council has developed a plan for the new boat ramp facilities desperately needed by the city. Urgent investment is required to support Townsville s great tropical lifestyle and important local industries including retail boating and fishing outlets. With the participation of the Queensland Government, Townsville s boating and fishing community can have the infrastructure they deserve. Boating Lifestyle 5

Hardly a family affair NQ is littered with the precious bastards like gemstones and the advantage in having a yak up here as opposed to a boat (I can t comment on NT) is that you can slip straight off secluded beaches without boat ramps and hit fishing spots in stealth mode while the punch-ups continue back at the boat ramp miles away. Forum Post from Townsville, July 2008, on Australian Kayak Fishing Forum 2. Boating Access At Crisis Point Townsville s boating community is grossly under-serviced. The city s population has boomed while its boating infrastructure has effectively declined. In the late 1970s, Townsville had 10 all-tide boat ramp lanes. Today, with more than four times the number of small boats in the city, there are only 12 all-tide lanes. Parking is even more constrained. The major all-tide site at Ross Creek (containing 8 of the city s 12 all-tide lanes) has less than half the number of carparks (132 in total) recommended by Transport and Main Roads. In 2001, a Port of Townsville survey of local boat owners found that only 10% of respondents were satisfied with existing boat ramp facilities. Since that time the number of boats registered in the region has grown by 43%. With long queues to launch boats during limited tidal windows, illegal parking, frustration and ramp rage incidents are on the rise. Many Townsville families have stopped taking-out their boats on weekends because of crowding and the lack of parking. The city s boat ramps are overflowing and working families with smaller boats are suffering the most. With an estimated $291 million invested in increasingly redundant small boats and fishing gear, it is not surprising that Townsville families are increasingly feeling ripped off. The problem is only set to worsen as Townsville s population continues to grow strongly, with an extra 90,000 residents forecast by 2031. The fishing and boating community of Townsville are increasingly voicing their concern. On 2 September 2009, a petition was tabled in State Parliament with 4,145 signatories demanding better boat facilities in Townsville. Transport and Main Roads estimate that an extra 17 boat ramp lanes and 450 parking bays are necessary to fulfil present-day demand. In addition, a further 16 boat ramp lanes are forecast to be required by 2020 to meet the demands of further population growth. That Townsville s boat ramp facilities are at crisis point is beyond dispute. The focus must now shift to addressing the shortfall and to planning for future growth. 6

It is not just fishos inconvenienced by an appalling lack of facilities, but jet ski enthusiasts, divers and trailer yachties all experience the same difficulties week in and week out. Eddie Riddle, Townsville boat ramp rage goes on, Townsville Bulletin, May 22 2009 3. Benwell Road Boat Ramp the solution Following a detailed review of locations, Townsville City Council has a delivery strategy to construct new all-tide boat ramp facilities that will help fulfil the community s current and future needs. The centrepiece of this strategy is a major facility to be constructed on Benwell Road at the mouth of Ross River. When completed the Benwell Road Boat Ramp will feature: 7 hectares of reclaimed land; 20 boat ramp lanes: enough lanes to meet the current deficit in infrastructure and 30% of anticipated growth in demand to 2020; 5 floating walkways: To improve the speed, safety and comfort of launching and taking out boats; 10 sealed disabled car with trailer parking bays; Artist impression of proposed Benwel Road Boat Ramp (AECgroup). 450 sealed car with trailer parking bays; 50 sealed standard car parks: and 5 wash down bays. With participation from the Queensland Government the Townsville community will finally have the boating infrastructure that they deserve. 7

4. An Optimal Location Benwell Road Boat Ramp facility The Benwell Road Boat Ramp facility will: address the infrastructure shortfall in a timely manner; minimise environmental impacts; minimise potential adverse social impacts; and deliver cost effective all-tide facilities. The site is within the Port of Townsville s control and would access an existing dredged boating channel. The environmental and social impacts of reclamation of land at the Benwell Road area has been recently studied by the Port of Townsville as part of the proposed Townsville marine precinct development. The Benwell Road Boat Ramp would be built upriver to stages one and two of the proposed marine precinct. In 2000, 93% of boat owners surveyed by the Port of Townsville said that they wanted to see such a facility at the mouth of Ross River. BENWELL ROAD PORT ACCESS ROAD BOUNDARY STREET The location is on the existing heavy vehicle route to the Port of Townsville with excellent linkages to the north, west and east Townsville areas. It is relatively distant from residences. Unlike the major all-tide facility currently in operation, most traffic to Benwell Road does not need to pass through the CBD, reducing future congestion in the city. By water, the Benwell Road Boat Ramp would be a short distance to Cleveland Bay, and would provide a centrally located point to access popular destinations such as Cape Cleveland, Magnetic Island, Cape Pallarenda and the Great Barrier Reef. 8

Palm Island Group Magnetic Island Great Barrier Reef Cape Pallarenda Cape Cleveland Townsville Northern Access Benwell Road Boat Ramp Creek and estuary fishing Western Access Southern Access 9

5. A Solution for the Community The Benwell Road Boat Ramp facility will directly improve the lifestyle of more than one in six Townsville families and their friends. It will support the economy of North Queensland by retaining more of the region s discretionary expenditure within Townsville and helping to ensure that people continue to choose to live in the region. Fishing and boating is a significant source of expenditure in the North Queensland economy. In 2001-02, Sunfish commissioned a survey of Townsville titled Spending Habits of Recreational Fisherman and Their Contribution to the Economy (Ian Murphy, 2002). The figures have been re-estimated by inflating to 2009 dollars and current small boat ownership figures, with a summary reported in Table 5.1 below. Item Estimated 2009 Expenditure per Fishing Trip Estimated 2009 Annual Expenditure Total Capital Value Insurance & registrations N/A $4,866,415 N/A Boats & electronics N/A N/A $236,588,111 Maintenance & safety $15.73 $9,671,002 N/A Fuel & consumables $95.02 $58,430,514 N/A Bait (fish & crab) $22.10 $13,591,058 N/A Fishing tackle $29.62 $18,215,663 $54,651,184 Source: Murphy (2002), ABS 6535.0, ABS 6401.0, Queensland Department of Transport & Main Roads, AECgroup 10

Townsville families spend more on boating and fishing than they do on holidays. Townsville families are spending in the vicinity of $100 million per year on boating and fishing trips. This excludes the purchase of boats, insurance and registration. To put this in perspective, Townsville households are estimated to spend only $90 million per year on domestic holidays, including airfares, hire cars, fuel, accommodation and tours. Other water based activities such as diving, sailing and jet skiing are also significantly disadvantaged by the lack of all-tide ramp facilities in Townsville. The large sums of money spent by the boating and fishing community generates turnover for small businesses across Townsville. This income, however, is being choked by the inadequacies of Townsville s boating infrastructure. By providing a convenient, high capacity launching point, the Benwell Road Boat Ramp will enable the growth of the region s water-based recreational community and the many small businesses in Townsville that depend on them. It will relieve pressure on facilities across the region. Local families will be able to return to the water, without fear of congestion and aggression on the ramps. 11

6. Project Cost and Timing The Benwell Road Boat Ramp facility is a great investment in the lifestyle and economy of North Queensland. The project can be considered as having three central components: 1. Seaside facilities, estimated at $5mil; 2. Reclamation to provide land; and 3. Related landside facilities, estimated at $12mil. Townsville City Council s delivery strategy sets out a three stage construction plan for the facility from 2011 to 2017. Stage One of the Benwell Road Boat Ramp facility would provide 8 all-tide ramp lanes and 180 car-with-trailer parking spaces. Cumulative Facilities Year Project Stage Landside Costs (2009 $Million) Boat Ramp Lanes Pontoons Carparks 2011-13 Stage 1 $6.60 8 2 180 2013-15 Stage 2 $3.00 8 2 180 2015-17 Stage 3 $2.40 4 1 90 Total $12.00 20 5 450 12

During this campaign we have also committed to an $18.9 million Townsville Mall upgrade, $10 million for Jezzine Barracks, and new boat ramps and pontoons as part of our $35 million recreational fishing infrastructure plan, Premier Anna Bligh, 2009 State election campaign 7. Project Funding Townsville City Council is requesting that the Queensland Government endorse the delivery strategy for the Benwell Road Boat Ramp facility, and provide land reclamation and a funding contribution for stage one of the project s construction. Specifically, funding for stage one is proposed as: Transport and Main Roads: provision of seaside facilities (8 ramps and 2 pontoons), estimated at $2 million; Queensland Government: reclamation to provide land; Queensland Government: 50% contribution to landside facilities (estimated at $3.3 million); and Townsville City Council: 50% contribution to landside facilities (estimated at $3.3 million). Townsville City Council is convinced that this is a vital piece of infrastructure for the future of Townsville and the lifestyle of its residents. For clarification of this proposal please contact: David Lynch Manager Townsville City Council Economic Development and Strategic Projects P 07 4727 9401 F 07 4727 9053 M 0428 730 626 E david.lynch@townsville.qld.gov.au 13

Benwell Road Boat Ramp Project