By Luke Voogt
Anglers have won a 20-year campaign to “fix” Limeburners boat ramp and other facilities in Geelong’s north, according to a long-time local boating advocate.
“We’ve been trying to get it fixed since before 2000,” Association of Geelong and District Angling Clubs secretary John Hotchin said.
Mr Hotchin this week welcomed a recent announcement that Better Boating Victoria had commissioned designs to upgrade the Limeburners, Kirk Point and Avalon Beach boat ramps.
“It’s brilliant that state government has put this group together to do the boat ramps,” he said.
“It will improve Limeburners boat ramp and fix it for the next 50 to 60 years.”
Planning work has commenced to increase capacity at the three ramps in greater Geelong, which has one of Victoria’s highest vessel ownership rates.
Coastal engineers will also consider additional car and trailer parking and upgraded pontoons and jetties, according to state government.
Mr Hotchin said he had campaigned for upgrades for the ramps, particularly Limeburners, for most of 25 years as secretary of the association.
The Limeburners ramp was built in the 1920s but gradually fell into disrepair, he said.
In the late 1990s Port of Geelong transferred management of the land to state government, which appointed Geelong council as the committee of management.
“They wouldn’t listen to the boating public about which way the ramp [and breakwater opening] should face,” Mr Hotchin said.
“It should have faced Alcoa, not the You Yangs – all the weather comes in from the west side of the bay there.”
Mr Hotchin said council also failed to install rock armour on a sandbag wall at the ramp, which led to the sandbags disintegrating.
While the facilities were relatively safe, the current design often caused strife during poor weather, he said.
“Everyone goes out when it’s nice and flat in the morning, but when a storm blows up and everyone is trying to get in at once it becomes bedlam.
“Tempers fray when everybody is trying to get onto the ramp at the same time.”
Council’s city services director Guy Wilson-Browne said council completed an upgrade including an extra double ramp, floating pontoons, a breakwater and a carpark extension, following the land transfer.
“We have recently commissioned a review and redesign of the breakwater [that] will include an extension to the east and will consider options to armour the structure.”
