Users name Victoria’s worst boat ramp

Warrnambool’s slippery Lady Bay boat ramp was voted the worst in RACV Marine’s Rate Your Ramp survey after gaining notoriety for the number of cars it has dragged into the depths over the years.

The ramp is also subject to tidal surges that can catch boaties unaware. It was temporarily closed in January this year – about the same time as the RACV Marine survey was launched – after yet another car and trailer were submerged, the Warrnambool Standard said.

Users surveyed said the Warrnambool ramp needed more car parking and trailer parking, especially at peak times, with three out of every four users rating the ramp’s surface as “extremely poor”.

At the other end of the scale, Melbourne’s Patterson River boat ramp was rated the state’s best, according to the 1300 people who responded to the survey.

However, while Patterson River – the state’s busiest boat ramp with four double launching lanes and boat wash-down facilities – came out on top with a good rating for its water quality, the number of ramps and its depth, users criticised the lack of trailer parking space.

The site last underwent a revamp in 2017 after a majour rebuild in 2008.

Other ramps gaining good traction with boaties included Portland in the state’s far west, and St Helens/Corio Bay near Geelong.

Ramps voted alongside Lady Bay as needing more attention included Coronet Bay on Western Port Bay, Black Rock on Port Phillip Bay, and Safety Beach on Port Phillip Bay.

RACV leisure products general manager Neil James said the boat ramp survey highlighted there was more that could be done to improve conditions – and safety – at Victoria’s more than 200 boat ramps.

“The boat ramps that need the most urgent improvements got more responses from boat users in the survey,” James said.

“This is the first time we’ve completed this research so it’s pleasing to know what boat users really think and need. From this, we hope to use these results to inform the state government, so ramp users are getting access to the best facilities across the state.

“The recent investment in the Portland boat ramp is a great example of money well spent, with more recreational anglers now flocking to the area to catch tuna and driving visitors to the region.

"We hope to see a similar investment in other regions, for example, Warrnambool’s Lady Bay ramp, to bring them up to a higher standard.”

Warrnambool City Council has asked the state government for funds to improve the boat ramp, but the request was knocked back late last year.

The Andrews Labor government was swept back into power in November last year after wooing the fishing vote, promising that it would make boat ownership cheaper by removing launching and parking fees, and improving facilities at boat ramps. It has even named the state's former agriculture minister, Jaala Pulford, as its Fishing and Boating Minister.

The Anderews Government has pledged to spend more than $34 million, with $300,000 going towards a fish cleaning table construction blitz around Port Phillip Bay and Corio Bay over the next two years. The funding will come from boat registration and licence fees.

The government will also soon launch a $1 million review into the management of boating infrastructure in Port Phillip Bay and Western Port.