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by Lynne Kombrekke
Whilst visiting Gladstone recently, I was
lucky enough to have the opportunity of going on a morning cruise
up the Harbour towards 'The Narrows'. What a beautiful day.
It has been many years since I have been
in that section of the Harbour. Industry with their ever-expanding
wharves flanked the western shoreline but the area to the east
and north remains unspoilt.
As I was in the process of updating my
late father's book, "Noel Patrick's Curtis Coast",
it was interesting to compare the information in the book to
the actual area. Recent research had unveiled that there was
talk about a bridge being built across 'The Narrows' joining
Curtis Island to the mainland and I wanted to see first hand
where the bridge was proposed to be built from Laird Point (south
of Graham Creek on Curtis Island) to Friend Point on Kangaroo
Island.
I then looked at the book and reread a
section that my dad wrote in 1990 -
"Much has been made in recent times of tourist complexes
near Cape Keppel and Black Head with everything from shale oil
mining to steel works as future possibilities on or near Curtis
Island. Let one hope that the powers that be have sufficient
grey matter to understand the importance of keeping these water
ways absolutely unrestricted as to the type of vessel using them.
Too many waterways have already been lost to reasonable navigation
because of the short-sightedness of even those government departments
that boast of protecting same. Surely certain minimum clearances
under any structure, whether it be bridge, power line, pipe line
or what have you, should be laid down for the different categories
of tidal waterways. This could vary from the height of a fisherman
standing in his tinnie at HWS in the most remote mud creek to
completely unlimited requirements for important channels such
as The Narrows, Sandy Straits or Hinchinbrook Channel which take
very tall masted vessels. Developers on islands do their thing
with full knowledge of their situation and should not expect
the rights of others be subjugated to their whims for power lines
or bridges."
For those people who knew my father will
acknowledge and recognize his passion for the Curtis Coast area
having been born in Gladstone and living his whole life in the
town. Dad was also asked to do a submission on "Safeguarding
of Navigational Waterways" for a Curtis Coast Study workshop
for the "Department of Environment and Heritage" in
December 1992 which detailed many of the local waterways including
'The Narrows'.
He was not a man against 'progress' or
'development' but a person with a brilliant foresight into the
future. Dad died in August 1993 so was unable to continue with
his quest for commonsense.
Like my father, I am very passionate about
the Curtis Coast area and would like to see "The Narrows"
remain navigable to all craft, whatever shape, size or height
they may be. Let us hope that commonsense prevails.
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