Boaties v boaties in the battle for Yorkeys
A SIMPLE plan to extend boating facilities at Yorkeys Knob has started a petition war between rival groups in Cairns.
Cairns Post reported last week on the Yorkeys Knob Boat Ramp Action Group’s petition garnering more than 1000 signatures to stop development of the existing Yorkeys Knob boating facility.
Cairns and FNQ Fishing Group hit back with an e-petition that drew more than 250 signatures in its first 24 hours.
“Cairns needs boat ramp upgrades but a small group of people from Yorkeys Knob want to roadblock a new ramp from being built in a perfect location,” the petition on change.org reads.
“We need to stop them from stopping the upgrade, so this is a petition to have them stop petitioning.”
Brinsmead fisherman Daniel Goodhew, who started the petition, said stopping the upgrades was against the public interest.
“If you go down to the ramp, it’s back-to-back with cars lined all the way up the street,” he said.
“There’s so much conges- tion on the roads, so it’s important to have a carpark developed to deal with that.”
He said it was essential for Cairns boaties to declare their support for the upgrades.
“We don’t get opportunities like this very often,” he said.
“The number of boaties kicking around Cairns who want this to go ahead is phenomenal, so I just want to get a true number of supporters who want the boat ramp to go ahead on paper.”
Yorkeys Knob Boat Ramp Action Group secretary Marilyn Wallace said she was all for a new boat ramp, just not in the same spot as the existing one.
“We’re boaties, we love fishing. We’re simply saying that there are other locations that will impact people, mainly Yorkeys Knob residents, less,” she said. “If they go ahead where they’re proposing the parking will only get worse.”
Recreational fisherman Mark Rodgers said the upgrade was essential.
“When the weather’s available, all the locals like to get out fishing,” he said.
“Some extra facilities would just aid the flow of vehicles at the ramp.”
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