Victorians asked to help shape regional boat ramp management

Better Boating Victoria, the branch of the Victorian Transport Department charged with looking after the state’s publicly owned boat facilities, has launched a survey inviting feedback on what could change under current management practices.

Better Boating Victoria has already looked at infrastructure needs in Port Phillip Bay and Western Port – two of the state’s busiest waterways – but has now turned its attention to the rest of the state.

The Boating Infrastructure Management Review includes a summary paper identifying some of the issues raised in the review of the more urban boat facilities that the government thinks may also apply to regional areas – including realising there is no way for boaters to give feedback on the facilities they use.

“We know that recreational boating facilities are diverse in regional Victoria and need to cater for different environments and needs,” better Boating Victoria said in a statement announcing the survey.

“So, we have prepared a summary paper called Management of Boating Facilities in Regional Victoria that identifies some of the issues impacting regional Victoria.

“... By taking part in our survey you will help us better understand the issues and develop options for improving the way we manage recreational boating infrastructure in Victoria,” it said.

Issues facing regional areas include how NSW and Victoria manage facilities along the Murray River, the high variability of inland water levels (a boat ramp at Lake Eppalock is more than 110 metres long to accommodate for a 14-metre variation in water levels), and the availability of water for recreational rather than commercial use.

On the plus side, congestion and ramp rage does not appear to be a significant problem in regional areas, however, seasonal pressures such as tuna fishing and tourism do greatly increase the number of boats using regional boat ramps.

The survey is available here.

The review was launched in March 2019 as part of a $47.2 million reform of recreational boating reform.

The state's boaters have already benefitted from the removal of parking and launching fees at public boat ramps, significant upgrades at high-use ramps and establishing the Better Boating Fund that will collect all fees associated with fishing and boating and feed them back into improving both activities.