Posted on March 28, 2016
THE COOMERA River will be dredged for the first time in 15 years, opening up a superyacht ‘highway’ to the city, more jobs in the marine industry and the potential for tens of millions of dollars to be injected into the city’s economy.
The long-awaited dredging is expected to start in the middle of the year with the opening of a $3 million facility at Coomera which will, for the first time, safely treat and dispose of river sediment.
Hal Morris, chief executive of the Gold Coast Waterways Authority (GCWA), said once final approvals had been secured, 314,000 cubic metres would be removed from the river over the next 10 years.
He said this would create a highway for international super yachts and other larger vessels to the Coomera Marine Precinct.
“After 10 to 15 years of uncertainty about what to do with dredging spoils, I am delighted that we finally have an answer,” he said.
“This new infrastructure will be a major economic boost for businesses in the area and the city. Spin-offs will include more jobs, more money spent on repairs by international super yacht owners, a boost for 65 businesses at the marine precinct and the other support industries that rely on them.
“The international super yacht market is worth $2.8 billion a year and at the moment, the Gold Coast secures only 1 per cent of this. We are confident this will increase significantly once these vessels can safely navigate the Coomera River.”
Mr Morris said critical dredging of the river would also have an impact on flood mitigation by increasing river capacity and allowing for easier transfer of stormwater.
“Major studies have been completed and after final approval, we will build a facility on industrial land between the Coomera Marine Precinct and the railway line,” he said.
Mr Morris said a number of different parties that dredged in the area would use the new facility, including the marine precinct, Gold Coast City Council, local industry and private canal estates.
Steve Sammes, chief operational officer of the Gold Coast City Marina in the Coomera Marine Precinct, said the silted Coomera River had long been a barrier for superyachts and racing yachts to visit the city.
“They are bypassing the Gold Coast until we have this highway cleared,” he said.
“The average value of a super yacht is between $6 million and $9 million, and owners spend 10 per cent of the total value of the boat on repairs every year. That’s $600,000 for each $6 million boat.
“Once the Coomera River is dredged, we’ll have more visits from these boats, more workload and more jobs.
“The demand for the Gold Coast is growing as we approach the Commonwealth Games and after visiting one boat show in Fort Lauderdale in November last year, we already have six superyachts ready to visit for the Games.”
He said the precinct saw between 2500 and 3000 local, interstate and international vessels and he was expecting a 25 per cent increase once the Coomera River had been dredged.
“The owners of the 150ft-plus vessels are among the top 5 per cent income earners in the world, and if they visit the Gold Coast, it opens up opportunity for business development and investment by them,” Mr Sammes said.
“They will also spend big in tourism and accommodation for their crews. The list goes on and on and it’s a win-win for the city’s economy.”
