Yarrabah jetty has a problem

A LACK of communication between the federal and state governments has led to a ridiculous situation at Yarrabah where a new $7 million jetty being built for tourism and other purposes cannot handle commercial vessels.

It cannot be expected that officials at the myriad of state and federal government agencies should know about a venture that could involve inter-agency co-operation.

But surely the federal member covering Yarrabah, Bob Katter, and his state counterpart Curtis Pitt knew there was a proposal for a ferry and that a jetty was being built too and should have joined forces.

It has been a long-time dream of Yarrabah residents for a ferry service between the town and the city of Cairns, to make it easier for people to get to and from the city and to bring tourists across, instead of the 45minute plus drive by road.

Now it is becoming reality but the problem is ferries will not be able to dock at the new jetty because the water is too shallow.

The ferry operators obtained a $1 million federal grant to buy two second-hand vessels but have now discovered there is not enough draft clearance.

They have had to consider an alternative, a bus service from Yarrabah to a ferry station on a property it is hoping to buy at East Trinity, which has deep-water access to the bay. It needs another $1.6m in funds.

But is there another solution? Next year the long-awaited dredging of Trinity Inlet will take place.

Can the dredge being used for the shipping channel works also be used to dredge Mission Bay at Yarrabah at the same time?

Food for thought. Nick Dalton Deputy editor