Seaway cruise terminal a dead duck

[Billo]

winds will make crap all difference !
I am in the shipping game, and i work for P & O ( nothing to do with cruise ships though - container ships only)
The guy who says 20 knott winds will make a difference on the decision is full of it ....thats what bow thrusters and tugs are for ....they move the boat into position and it gets tied off , not sure which century he was talking about there ....and sand build ups...... thats what pumping stations and dredgers are for .

Shipping and cruise industries have had much harder geographical areas to conquer then southport .

don't get me wrong , i think it is a sh!t house idea ....GC is overcowded enough as it is and the broadwater couldn't be under any more pressure ...but it seems money talks !

the amount opf money it will bring in is enourmous , and a high percentage of cruise goers would love the idea of stopping down there and having access to the nightlife / casino's / sea world etc etc ......Brisbane cruise terminal is nothing pretty , and this would boost the Brisbane - Fiji - Vanuatu circuit like you would not believe...would not surprise me if this is to open brisdsy river for commercial vessels only ( tankers / containers ) and move the passebger cruises down there on a more permanent basis !....i think there is buckleys this will be stopped.....but best of luck to anyone who tries

[PinHead]

The govt has approved it pending an environmental study and also participation from private enterprise.
I have a funny feeling that it will not go ahead..the environmental study will stop it..I think Beattie has announced this to appease some and also change the centre of focus on his govt...as for the private investment in it..Multiplex is building the Brisbane terminal...not sure who else would be interested in this one.

[Bosunsmate]

It will be devastating to see this go ahead, especially as there are other more appropriate solutions to the problem but, as Billo has said vessels of the sizes expected will not be concerned with a 20kt breeze, where this amount of income is concerned money talks, & when you have multinationals like Tabcorp, Jupiters, not to mention the accomodation chains as well as the local Chambers of Commerce along with the plethora of small businesses etc etc etc pushing the mighty $$$ benefits then the small folk such as us have little chance of getting in their way.

The conservation mobs lost the fight over Airley Beach (Mandalay Point), Port Hinchinbrook and Magnetic Island (Nelly Bay) developments to name just a few, over the years with very expensive and financially debilitating legal banter, sure they achieved some small changes but they were mostly conceded for political reasons.

I have great respect for anyone that believes strongly enough to fight for their beliefs and to stand up and be counted when the time comes, so many just spruke off and sit back saying they'll fight but they never show up for the fight.

May I suggest that a formal petition be generated for all members of this site to sign, the more names and signatures the better, it has been recently proven that Beattie is being persuaded by voter numbers at the moment by 7 News with their phone poll regarding the fuel pricing system in use by WA. Beattie refused to even consider it one day, the day after 7 ran the poll and they achieved a 96% Yes vote he changed his mind and said he would look at it, at least that s a start.

[Duyz72]

Having grown up on the Gold Coast, I have seen it go from bad to worse. Although if you talk to any Coasties my Grandparents age you would know how bad it really is now. They used to troll for Golden T's up at Nerang, in the River. And here I was thinking that catching luderick at the end of Central St off the jetty was the 'good old days'.
A Cruise Terminal, bad idea, might as well build that Casino on Wave Break island they were putting forward years ago.

[Billo]

i hate to put a dampner on it ....but how many petitions actually work .

for 1 the governments know any tom dick and harry will say NO if they have no financial benefit or don't like the idea ...but how many of those people who sign these things are actually strongly against it and will go to the polls on it or make decisions influencing public agenda based on this approval !??? ...it really is a list of names who don't like it .....i bet if they did a list of who WANTS it , they would get just as big a list ....and again , money talks ...the people on the 'want ' list will be more known and powerfull people with more influence .

you gotta hit the root cause , don't petition the construction ...petition for a vote !
a petition that says ' We will throw the local government out of office if this goes through ' could be more effective ...gotta get personal .
Otherwise you need to hit the financial influences like boycotting casinos , sea world etc etc and send the petition to them so they feel more volitile over the plans...and you need to HIT THEM with a solid response on what your immediate actions will be.

attacking the principal WILL NOT WORK these days ....you need to influence those who have influence in the decision making processing and can weigh in !...otherwise hope for an environmental no go ...which i also doubt will happen , as environmental impact studies can be influenced also

[keen_as_mustard]

this proposal is the wrost idea I have heard from a gc point of view - especially if you surf or fish. I am sure the area around the terminal will be out of bounds regardless of anti-terror laws or not.

the seaway offers such good fishing/diving for the locals - what will the cruise terminal offer locals - another man made eyesore I guess?

I too believe this is a done deal and public pressure won't stop it - the qld govt doesn't seem to listen to gc locals at the moment...don't even get me started on beattie's response to removing shark nets!

[Cloud_9]

this one of the times when the greens should do their job and block this .
the seaway is a breeding area for flathead and the resident tarpon and probably a few other species.
as a member of a club that was instrumental in getting the slot limit for the flathead this would be a dissaster for the future of the flathead breeding in the GC area.
Cloud 9

[Burley_Boy]

I'm not 100% sure where I stand yet but I fully understand all concerns regarding detrimental change.
But the amount of rubbish that gets flouted to fight the proposal tends to make me anti the lobby groups.
Thanks Billo on pointing out the wind issue. This is pushed hard in the local paper with quotes saying 60% of the time the Seaway would be impassable due to winds over 20 knots! What rot! The BOM might have a Moreton Island to Coolangatta prognosis quoting 20+ knots for the day but we all know that if you're in by 11am you're fine. They quote antifouling and grey water as the issues, give me a break! Why hide the real concerns beneath the bunk!
The Gold Coast will continue growing whether we like it or not because its a fantastic place. Compared to large places of this planet this will continue to be a fantastic place even as it grows. Hopefully we can get this artificial reef to revive the area though.

[PinHead]

what will happen to Wavebreak Island once the Seaway is dredged to 12 metres..there will be some good swells coming through there then

[Hoges]

what will happen to Wavebreak Island once the Seaway is dredged to 12 metres..there will be some good swells coming through there then

Welcome to Wavebreak Wall!

[gogecko]

Yes, Ive been thinking about the wind and bowthrusters, and I now think you are right. Ships do get into and out of much more difficult ports in wind.

So why is this guy in the paper not aware of it all? He was only the head of the GC maratime association. Some of you may even know him. Now Im really confused.

Theres sure a lot of misinformation going around.

[boatboy50]

Hey Guys,

Programs like a current affair and today tonight prove that if you want to, you can get a professional to say anything. Its called sensationalist marketing, and is very popular with such programs and papers.

I personally have lived in Brissie/Goldie all my life, and I believe this will be a good thing for the Goldie. I fully support it 100%.

There will be some impact, but I don't believe it will be enough to warrant it not happening.

Previous projects have proved money talks, and regardless of how much greenies want it stopped, they are the minority (who in my opinion has too much pull!).

Yes, fishing and boating will be inpacted on the coast. Its fact. It has been impacted everywhere, and you can't say they are stuffing up the broadwater when all other areas have had an impact similar to the Gold Coast Seaway/Wavebreak. The fishing is simply not as good anywhere as it was in the old days, unless you hit the far outer reaches of Fraser Island, Cape York ect.

The Seaway project can't be blamed for the lack of fish, blame society in general, and the huge boost in population this region has encountered.

Remember, there is always two sides to every story!

Regards

Darren

[Burley_Boy]

Spoke to Ian (the diving filming guy) tonight. And we quickly got onto this subject. From some of the "studies" it really sounds like the studies are purely there not to find any results but to appease groups and get results that you can refer to. I mean stuff like the models not having been supplied with relevant info so they base a major study on 1,4knot current in the seaway, same goes for winds and depth etc and how can a pollie say it will only get dredged once a year???? based on what? Thanks for your straightforward post Darren.

Anyway its sad that we waste money on studies that are totally irrelevant. Ian is pushing hard for the artificial reef and showing the value of the GC habitats (another video night on the GC Thursday night, all welcome but check the other post on the subject)

[wishey]

Darren

For someone that says they have lived Bris/Goldie all there life, I don't think you fish to often down the Coast.

Yes I agree with you about the fishing is not as good as it used to be, but over the last 5 years down the Coast, the estuary fishing has been outstanding, Whiting, Bream, and Flathead, just to name a few species that have been prolific, you only have to look at the last Flathead classic held down the Coast to see how well the fishery is improving.

To say that dredging the seaway to 12 metres will not have an impact, is quite reckless.

When they put Wavebreak Is in and the Seaway, this was a huge impact, the place did come good for quite a number of years after this.

By no way I am a Greenie, just a dissapointed angler, common sense tells me there is only so much the place can handle.

This is just my opinion and what I have witnessed in the past, but I feel if this goes ahead, the place might not recover to the sub healthy state it is now.

[boatboy50]

Hey Wishey,

At no stage did I say it wouldn't have an impact. It has to.

You are right, I don't do a great deal of fishing on the coast. It simply is not worth it for the small amount of precious spare time I have. I'd rather be heading elsewhere for my fishing expeditions. I do however boat and utilise the Broadwater very frequently for other purposes.

I simply feel the other benefits to the coast are far too good to knock it back.

Regards

Darren