$4.5m Rhyll ramp plans almost finalised

Modified designs for the proposed $4.5 million Rhyll boat ramp upgrade – revealed last week at a community meeting – include safety changes to parking and a nautical-inspired new playground.

Following concern that vehicles with trailers would be required to reverse into parks facing the playground, engineers have now made all car parks drive in and reverse out.

Silverleaves safety expert Gerry Gibb last week said he was still concerned vehicles would reverse into a zebra crossing.

“My concern is there are pedestrians moving through an area where there will be vehicles moving,” Gerry said.

“The original design intent was to exclude pedestrians - except those involved in launching and retrieving boats – and the current proposal channels pedestrians through a boat trailer manoeuvring area. 

“I believe the engineer should return to the total exclusion of pedestrians from the boat manoeuvring area, even if means hard barriers on the boardwalk.”

Rhyll Angling Club president Albert Abram highlighted that currently pedestrians wandered through the car park area with no defined zones, with the new designs safer than current conditions.

Albert said the modified designs – being delivered by Bass Coast Shire and yet to be entirely finalised - also included a combined rerigging and derigging area for anglers, while a planned boat washing area had been moved to the northern end of the car park.

“Everything is still a work in progress,” he said.

Rhyll Slipway Trust spokeswoman Cheryl Overton said there would be 15 historical signs – created by local historian John Jansson – to highlight the areas heritage.

“I will give them credit where credit is due. They are working with all the community associations to get this right,” she said.

A playground has been designed by renowned Kilcunda landscape architect Karl Russo and will include a squid play tower, weather station and shipwreck cove.

“Apart from scrub, we wanted to use the existing mature vegetation to create an explorative world with little paths, tunnels and hidden rooms, with a maritime theme,” Karl said.

Children and parents have contributed to the playground designs, giving them a thumbs up, including resident Skye McFee.

“It’s nice to see something natural. Our big criteria was not to use metal and colour,” Skye said.

The modified designs build on last year’s agreed Plan A, which include three boat ramps extending deeper into the bay allowing all-tide operation, two new fixed and floating pontoon jetties, and a fish cleaning table.

Originally a proposed increase in car and trailer parking from 39 to 43 parks has now been redesigned back to 39.

There will be two construction windows: stage 1 between June and August 2021, pending approvals, focusing on the car park reconfiguration; and stage 2 the marine component – jetties, pontoons and boat ramp lanes, scheduled for February/March 2022 and completed by August 2022.

During each construction stage the entire boat launching facility, including the boat ramps and car park, will be closed until the works are complete for that stage. 

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