Following the recent Eurobodalla Council announcement regarding the construction a fishing platform in Moruya, work is well on the way with completion expected soon. The platform is located on the south/eastern side of the Moruya bridge.
The platform has been 100% funded from the Recreational Fishing Trust (licence fees) which is managed by DPI Fisheries.
It is hoped Council will support more platforms as they improve fishing opportunity, provide easy access for families, especially children and those less mobile.
Materials used are low maintenance with the main structural steel component being galvanised. The platform will canter leaver over the river bank providing easier access to the water helping to reduce snags on rocks which are under the platform.
The platform has been in the planning stage for some time and it is pleasing to see Council completing the project in time for the upcoming tourist season. Advice is that it will be finished in good time for the summer holidays that start next week.
Eurobodalla Council has in the past been considered less than enthusiastic in seeking grants for recreational fishing facilities however recent discussions with the Mayor and reiteration of the importance and the role that recreational fishing has to both the community and to visitors alike has finally seen a change of attitude that might result in more enthusiasm being shown by Council in seeking further grants for installation and improvements to jetties, fishing platforms, fishing facilities and the promotion of fishing as an integral part of Eurobodalla life. It is widely offered and discussed at the many coffee-table fonts of knowledge around the Shire that for Council to dismiss grants because they don't come with future maintenance money, and recognised and considered by many in funding circles as a short-sighted folly, the result has been that this area has missed out on considerable opportunities as these funds go elsewhere on the Eastern seaboard. It is oft discussed that Council's continued reluctance to take on new facilities whilst they continue to rationalise existing ones such as parks, toilet blocks and even local parks might appear, on the books, good economic rationalisation however they rarely show any tightening of their considerably straining administration belt that sees 33% of rates consumed in wages. It is reassuring to see that Mayor has now directed staff to be more proactive and to consider all fishing related grants recognising that recreational fishing is part of the core drawcard of tourism to the area.
