Local Port a local success story

Published on 05 October 2023

Glenelg Shire residents, and Portlanders in particular, love the city’s foreshore, but what about all the pieces that go towards making it up?

Much of it is part of the Local Port of Portland Bay, which consists of the Trawler Wharf and its pontoons, Boat Ramp South, Town Jetty, Portland Bay Marina, Transit Jetty, Boat Ramp North, Henty beach swimming pontoon, the Local Ports Water Ways, Swing Moorings, Boat Ramp North Fish Weight station and the Aids to Navigation.

Keeping all of this infrastructure in tip-top shape is the job of Glenelg Shire Council – other areas under its jurisdiction include the fish cleaning tables, Trawler Wharf amenities block, and associated car parks.

The Trawler Wharf is managed under a funding agreement with the Department of Transport and Planning, while a grant from Better Boating Victoria and user fees from the Portland Bay Marina cover most of the rest, meaning little financial cost to ratepayers – in fact in 2022-23 the Local Port declared a small surplus.

Much of the hard work to bring the top-class facilities to what they are today can be traced back to 2016, when the Council was successful in obtaining a grant to develop a Masterplan.

That involved major engagement with stakeholders, picking up on what wasn’t there and what was needed for the future.

The Masterplan is the backbone of what exists at the Local Port today – everything from the extension to the Marina, new Town Jetty and Trawler Wharf pontoons to the swimming pontoon and amenities block at the Trawler Wharf can be traced to it – with just two items remaining to be completed.

One of those is the on-water diesel facility, which will be completed next year, and the other is the boat maintenance facility, and progress is underway on that as well.

Glenelg Shire Mayor Scott Martin said the Local Port was a crucial part of the foreshore, and much work had gone into making it what it is today.

“The masterplan was the missing link in the puzzle and it has made it easier for funding applications that give us the infrastructure that everyone can enjoy,” he said.

“Council would also like to thank our funding providers in the Victorian Government – the Department of Transport and Planning, Regional Development Victoria and Better Boating Victoria for making it all possible.”