Coffs Harbour Regional Boat Ramp

We are now focused on upgrading the carpark, facilities and surrounding roads.

Constructing a new access road to the Fishing Club will require us to close the access road for short periods of time. We’ll endeavour to minimise the impact of these temporary closures by working only outside the Fishing Club’s trading hours, and aiming to have the access road reopened by 11:00am each day. Our contractor has also performed some repair and fill to the rear access road so it can be used during times the main access is closed. 

For a map of the works completed so far and the areas we will be working on now, click here (PDF, 485.16 KB)to view the 4 week lookahead.

Following construction on the access road, it will be time for adjustments to be made to Jordan Esplanade. This will require Jordan Esplanade (on the eastern side of the boat ramp) to close for approximately 10 weeks, beginning in July (exact date to be confirmed). During this time, the Gallows Beach carpark will need to be used instead of the current carpark, and traffic management personnel will be on site. Click here to see a map of where the road will be impacted.

Pedestrians, emergency vehicles and Council maintenance vehicles will still be able to access the southern breakwall during this time.

The project team is looking to establish some additional overflow trailer parking during the closure of Jordan Esplanade.

The success of efforts to maintain a clear channel at the Coffs Harbour Boat Ramp drew in many visitors during the Easter Period. Skippers were able to launch their vessels into the water, navigate over the basin area and up through channel, which has maintained a depth of between -2 - 3 metres which is confirmed in our most recent hydrographic survey (PDF, 3.68 MB).

An overflow parking area was established at Jordan Esplanade, which will remain open leading up to, and throughout Stage 2 works (upgrade of the car park and amenities) during which time the main car park will be closed.

Corflute signs are visible in various locations to direct boaters to the additional parking including the modified pedestrian access (please see images for a visual representation of car park areas). The section on the southern side of Jordan Esplanade will be available towards the end of May.

With the sand pump trial now underway and operating successfully, the Cutter Suction Dredge will undertake some trimming of the basin area between 26–28 April before being relocated landside near the shipping containers for periodic maintenance.

Image

Collapse the Image

Coffs Harbour boat ramp.

Image controls:

Enlarge the Image

Installation of the four jet pumps was completed on 3 April 2023. With all four pumps now in place and operational, the siltation of the channel is showing improvement already. The diagram below shows the locations of pumps (indicated by the red circles) and the latest hydrographic survey (PDF, 3.68 MB) shows the improved depth they have achieved so far. 

The Cutter Suction Dredge is on site and will be operating after the school holidays to dredge the basin area leading to the boat ramp itself. This work will not impact either boat ramp or channel access.

Once the basin dredge is completed at the end of the month, the Cutter Suction Dredge will be lifted out of the water and placed onto the hard stand near the shipping containers for periodic maintenance. 
 
Transport will continue to closely monitor the operation of the jet pumps, and the depth of the channel and basin area.

On 28 March, the first of four jet pumps was successfully installed at the Coffs Harbour Boat Ramp.

The photo shows the installation of the first jet pump. The whitewash you see in the photo is evidence of the pump penetrating the sand and burying itself, lowering the pipe with it to the seabed.

The jet pump was tested and immediately started operating, extracting sand and transferring it to the bunded area.

Image

Collapse the Image

Sand pump trial

Image controls:

Enlarge the Image

Over the next week we will be installing the remaining three pumps and the trial will begin shortly thereafter.

We will aim to keep the channel open and operational. However, users of the channel may experience minor delays during the installation of jet pumps.

From 23 March until midday 6 April 2023 (subject to weather and tide conditions) pumps and pipelines for the upcoming Trial Sand Pumping System will be installed in the channel.

As this involves divers and boats, parts of the channel will be subject to an Exclusion Zone via a Marine Notice for periods between these dates.

The boat ramp access will remain open, but may be restricted at times due to this essential construction activity.

Please navigate with extra care and observe all buoys and directions from NSW Maritime during these periods.

Work on Stage 2 of the Boat Ramp began on 16 January 2023, with the car park kept open and accessible.

Civil and stormwater works along the Jordan Esplanade will continue with the western entry and exit road to Gallows Beach closed.  

Temporary fencing and traffic controls are in place with no impact to the general public. We are aiming to complete works in September 2023.

The next four weeks of work is detailed in the diagram below.

Dredging

Our aim is to keep the channel open and accessible, and we monitor its depth daily.

The cutter suction dredge is on site and will operate on a week-to-week schedule, or more frequently if required.

Sand pump trial

TfNSW is still on track for the installation and commissioning of the pumps prior to the end of March 2023.

Equipment, pumps and containers will start to arrive on site the week of 27 February. The installation of the system will take about four weeks. The boat ramp will remain open to the public during this time. 

The proposed project will be designed and constructed in two stages.

Stage 1 would include:

•     extending the existing breakwater by 75m
•     widening the existing boat ramp, adding an additional two lanes
•     new top surface over the existing boat ramp area
•     extending the existing pontoon
•     adding two new pontoons
•     dredging the existing boat ramp basin and channel as part of an ongoing dredging program at this site.

Stage 2 (late 2022) would include:

•     extending the existing main carpark to include additional parking for cars, boats and trailers
•     new carpark entrance at the western end of the carpark
•     blocking the entry adjacent to the boat ramp off Jordan Esplanade (for safety reasons)
•     diverting traffic along Jordan Esplanade road opposite the main carpark
•     new road signage
•     new rigging and de-rigging bays around the main carpark
•     a new shared pathway (2.5m) for walking/cycling
•     new amenities facility
•     new Lighting and signage
•     recreational furniture including seating and tables
•     pedestrian pathway on south side of Jordan Esplanade with access to Gallows beach carpark and to amenities facility in the main carpark area
•     landscaping
•     extending services, including water, power and sewerage.

The Coffs Harbour boat ramp is located in a small basin on the southern side of the harbour. The original boat ramp and basin was constructed in the mid-1970s, and there is a history of reports by boaters of the difficulties launching and retrieving boats and navigating vessels through the entrance channel to the boat ramp.

The boat ramp basin regularly suffered from water level surges, making it difficult to secure boats coming into or leaving the ramp and operational difficulties were also experienced in the vicinity of the boat ramp during times that north-easterly swell entered the harbour.

In 2015 the boat ramp basin was extended to reduce some of impacts of the wave action on the structure. There are still impacts from the waves, particularly during low tide that are being addressed by the upgrades proposed in this project.

The Coffs Harbour Regional Boat Ramp Precinct Enhancement Committee (CHRBRPEC) comprises local boat ramp users who have a vision to develop the boat ramp precinct into a world class facility that will meet existing and future demands from local and visiting mariners.

The CHRBRPEC identified the need to upgrade the boat ramp to address safety and congestion concerns after a number of boating incidents. In particular over the 2018 Easter holiday period, over a dozen boats were washed onto rocks at the entrance to the boat ramp basin. Harbour City Council (CHCC) have endorsed the need for the project, and funding has been approved by Transport for NSW to undertake improvement works at the boat ramp facility.

• October 2021 project notification (PDF, 280.99 KB)
• August 2021 community update (PDF, 3.59 MB)

• Sand management plan (PDF, 1.04 MB)
• Review of Environmental Factors (PDF, 53 MB)
• Submissions report (PDF, 3.48 MB)

• Stage 1 (PDF, 1.51 MB)
• Stage 2 (PDF, 2.69 MB)

• 4 April 2023 Hydrographic survey (PDF, 3.68 MB)
• 3 March 2023 Hydrographic survey (PDF, 6.75 MB)
• 9 January 2023 Hydrographic survey (PDF, 6.51 MB)
• 14 December 2022 Hydrographic survey (PDF, 4.08 MB)
• 1 December 2022 Hydrographic survey (PDF, 8.1 MB)
• 31 October 2022 Hydrographic survey (PDF, 3.7 MB)
• 18 August 2022 Hydrographic survey (PDF, 1.34 MB)
• 29 July 2022 Hydrographic survey (PDF, 6.04 MB)
• 8 July 2022 Hydrographic survey (PDF, 2.59 MB)
• 30 June 2022 Hydrographic survey (PDF, 3.91 MB)

• 26 November 2020