Heat on council as storms free swim pontoon

THE Kingborough Council is seeking answers from the manufacturer of the popular Kingston Beach pontoon after it was dislodged by storms that battered southern Tasmania during the weekend.

But the council is coming under fire for not taking measures for such conditions after its suitability for the beach was questioned earlier this year.

More than two years after the previous pontoon at Kingston Beach broke its moorings and ended up at Tranmere on the Eastern Shore, the new pontoon — which the council spent about $60,000 on — was dislodged and ended up on the beach as a result of the wild weather.

Surfers used the pontoon as a launching pad to take advantage of the big waves that were unusual for the beach, but eventually the pontoon came adrift.

A council spokeswoman said engineers would assess the damage and the pontoon would remain secured at the beach until that was done.

“The new pontoon was installed earlier this year and was a different design from the previous one,” the spokeswoman said.

“The anchors into the sea bed were more secure to reduce the risk of tampering and it was positioned in a sheltered location to try and reduce the risk of it coming loose.

“Council is meeting with the supplier of the pontoon to investigate how it has become separated during the severe weather conditions. They will also discuss how and when reinstallation is likely to occur.”

But the issue of whether the new pontoon could handle storms and large swells came up at a council meeting on July 24.

Kingborough executive manager of engineering services David Reeve said council officers were “confident that all has been done that is possible to protect the pontoon from future storm events”.

Councillor Dean Winter, who asked the question earlier this year, said given the cost of the pontoon, council should have been more prepared.

“The storm we experienced yesterday was foreseeable,” he said. “There have been countless examples of young people surfing and bodyboarding in large swells at that location over the years.

“That’s why I raised concern about placing the pontoon there.

“From here, I’ll be asking whether the pontoon is salvageable and whether the hundreds of young people who enjoyed it towards the end of last summer will get to do the same this summer.”

The storm ... was foreseeable ... that’s why I raised concern about placing the pontoon there — DEAN WINTER