A new boat ramp recently opened in Kalaru on the NSW South Coast was not good news for those with limited mobility.  Bega Valley Shire Council (BVSC) opened the new boat ramp at Christmas but its lack of accessibility raised the ire of local resident, Chris Sparks, (pictured).

However, a BVSC spokesperson told F2L the Council is reviewing the design and consultation process to assess what can be done at the site to make improvements. “The Council acknowledges that the project has not delivered good results in terms of accessibility, and accessibility is important and we aim to do better,” the spokesperson said. “Incorporating accessibility and inclusivity into Council projects is undertaken wherever possible, particularly at popular sites with supporting facilities.

A Council meeting on January 27 considered a Notice of Motion on the project with outcome being:  

  • That Council arrange a public meeting as soon as possible to allow concerned residents to provide feedback on the operation of the new jetty and boat ramp recently completed at Kalaru
  • That Councillors workshop possible solutions to any identified problems with the new facility
  • That a further report be provided to the Council with options to fix any problems identified.

Several site constraints including existing terrain and site levels, the site being subject to flooding, environmental permits and Aboriginal heritage put limitations on the type of facility and the project design with works to the access road and parking areas still in progress.

Sparks, president of the Physical Disability Council NSW and disability advocate, has lived in the area for more than a decade. A wheelchair user due to a spinal cord injury as a toddler, Sparks was a regular visitor to the previous informal boat ramp at Kalaru that allowed him to park and wheel down to the water’s edge.  But he said the fixed height design of the new facility has made it impossible for him to get into his boat and there is no direct access to the water other than the boat ramp which is too steep for a typical wheelchair user.

“I understand the engineering challenges posed by the lake at Kalaru when it floods, as parts of my property can go under water by several metres, but a more innovative engineering solution should have been looked at that would have worked for all rate payers and visitors, not just the most able”, Sparks said.