Pittwater Life August 2018 Issue

Dredge plea
News
Businesses in Palm Beach
and across Pittwater at
Ettalong are hoping a longterm
solution can be found to
the environmental issue that has
shut down ferry services and cut
off the two tourism destinations
for more than two months.
Massive sand build-up near
Little Box Head forced the closure
of the Ettalong Channel in
May, with dredging required to
clear the waterway – the second
time in two years the channel
has required dredging works
to counter tidal flow deposits
of sand.
Ettalong Tourism & Visitor
Information Centre
administrator at Ettalong
Diggers, Kim Cole, said
the southern-tip Central
Coast community was
desperate for the dredging
to begin and the
ferry service to resume, to
arrest a significant downturn
in business.
“It is imperative for the
survival of small business
in our region which is the
lifeblood of our community,”
Ms Cole said.
“The wharf closure has had
a significant financial impact,
with many highlighting a big
drop-off in trade – it has also
had a big effect on commuters,
tradies and students attending
Northern Beaches schools.”
Wolfgang Zichy, owner of the
Re:Publik Cafe and Art Gallery
on Ocean View, said the flow
of visitors had dried up – with
some shops reporting income
loss of more than 50 per cent.
“It’s the businesses that are
in line with people walking to
and from the ferry who are suffering
the most,” he said.
“Also, we hear Patonga is suffering
from the wash around
the wharf and beach and cars
parked everywhere, so that no
visitors there can find a space,”
he said.
Club Palm Beach general
manager John Sinclair noted
Palm Beach businesses had
also been impacted.
“Where we would normally
CLOGGED: An aerial view showing sand build-up.
BUSINESSES SUFFERING: The Ettalong community have rallied.
expect to welcome 20 visitors
to lunch, at the moment we are
picking up maybe two or three.
And where normally 50 to 60
might get off the ferry at Palm
Beach, now it’s around eight.”
The long-term fix remains
up in the air given an ongoing
dispute between Central Coast
Council and the NSW Government
over responsibility to pay
for the dredging.
The Council refuses to accept
the Government’s definition
that it is a ‘local’ waterway
and is demanding the Berejiklian
Government pay
each time the channel
requires work.
But the Government
maintains that as the
waterway does not
contain any State-owned
maritime structure it
is defined as a regional
waterway, with Council
responsible.
The Government has
stumped up for the bill
on each of the past two
occasions, drawing on
emergency funding; it has also
signed a cheque for $660,000
in new emergency funding
– which will enable a more
extensive dredging job this
time around which it’s hoped
will provide a longer window
between incidents and allow
the Government and Council to
strike accord.
In the meantime, at the Government’s
urging, Council has
applied for emergency assistance
under the Rescuing Our
Waterways program, which
would see Government match
contributions from Council.
New dredging works, which
will take approximately five to
eight weeks, were scheduled to
commence in late July, subject
to weather conditions and seas.
Meanwhile, to help “drive”
people to Ettalong, several offshore
businesses have banded
together under the umbrella
Peninsula Tourism Partners
(PTP).
Its first promotional campaign
has seen the introduction
of ‘Peninsula Dollars’ –
distributed by accommodation
provider Accom, the ‘dollars’
provide discounts and special
deals to visitors.
Mr Zichy said PTP would be
working with Fantasea Ferries
to announce further promotions
as soon as the channel
was reopened.
– Lisa Offord
20 AUGUST 2018
The Local Voice Since 1991