SA Sailing Boat Team Opts for Nature not New Dockage

On June 04, 2008

“Stansbury - ’delightful, historic & attractive’”    . Members of the Sailing Jury of the Royal South Australian Sailing Boat Team have thrown their support behind Stansbury’s Oyster Harbour Preservation Commission, opposing the developing of dockage. Director of the Sailing Jury Harry Wynn said the jury had four main objections to the project, including the fact there’s already dock at Port Vincent & another at Wirrina.

‘Oyster Harbour is delightful, historic & attractive part of South Australia & favorite destination for sailing sailboats. To demolish its natural beauty for the benefit of few would be tragic,” he concluded.

‘The existing marinas supply more than adequate space & facilities. Neither of them are travelling very well, both are undersold & under-utilised & it would be senseless to join another dock in the predictable future. South Australia doesn’t need another languishing dockage developing,” he said.

‘Such developing would besides spoil the nature of the place & ruin the very thing people go there for. Most of the sailing community would like to see things left in an unspoilt state & the dock at Port Vincent is entirely adequate as shelter on that side of the peninsula.”

Although noting that the majority of Stansbury’s residents appear to be opposed to the developing, Sir Wynn besides explained adequate provision for boats can be made at much less cost & with less destruction of the natural environment.

‘Late minor modifications to existing sailing boat ramps at Christmas Cove, Penneshaw & Arno Harbour have provided super facilities for boats lacking big disruption to the natural beauty of the place,” he said. “All that’s needed is space for few sailboats to seek shelter & pick up supplies; space for hundreds of yachts is entirely unnecessary.

‘In the near future we hope to pursue discussions with the District Council of Yorke Peninsula on ways of improving existing facilities with much less cost & disruption.

In their ongoing campaign vs the developing, members of the Oyster Harbour Preservation Jury have forwarded submission to Planning SA, with copies to number of state politicians & the DCYP, & contacted four Adelaide-based boat clubs.

‘We were pleased to receive call & visit from Harry Wynn, & to get their support for our stand versus the Stansbury dockage proposal, though besides learning he had contacted other larger clubs & they, too, agreed the dock isn’t needed,” Commission spokesperson Trevor Carbins said.

Given Larger Project Status by the SA Government in February last year, the commission & others are now awaiting the release of the Stansbury Developing Company’s Environmental Impact Study. Once this document has been made to hand it would then be put out for public consultation & presented at public meeting in Stansbury.

Around Stansbury:

Located 213 kilometres west of Adelaide, Stansbury is pleasing holiday spot on the beach of the Yorke Peninsula. it is 17 kilometers from Port Vincent & 23 kilometres from Yorketown.

Stansbury was in the beginning known as Oyster Harbour cause of the region’s reputation as place where the best oyster beds in South Australia could be establish. Governor Musgrave renamed the town “Stansbury” after puzzling “Sir Stansbury” who was friend of his.

The town grew up as schooner port. The grain from the surrounding area was brought to the port where it was overloaded on schooners & shipped across Gulf St Vincent to be overloaded on the larger vessels at Port Adelaide.

These Day the town operates as service centre for the surrounding farmers but its primary focus is on tourism. It has charm which is completely distinctive & it attracts holidaymakers from Adelaide who want to escape from the city.
by Yorke Peninsula Country