Sydneys Metro Boat Ramps Worst In The Nation?

[PPSGT]

After moving to Sydney two year ago from Adelaide I've found the metro

fishing to be great but all the ramps I've been to have been to on the northshore

- Tunks Park, Greenwich, Burns Bay and I've driven at looked at many

other metro ones and they are terrible. Roseville & Rose Bay are OK,

but Roseville's certainly not worth paying for.

There's no problem with their access, slopes, or low tide access -

and parking doesnt bother me becasue thats just Sydney theres just no space left ,

But where are the pontoons?

If you got a drive on/off trailer and two experienced boaties thats great, but If not

and your by youself or just taking kids out with you at places like tunks park

it makes launching very hard. Especially when busy.

Here are some pics of my local ramp back in Adelaide at North Haven -

Its is the worst of the three major metro ramps. ( there are six other smaller ramps )

Apart fromt the 200 rigs carpark, 8 Bay washdown, Tackle Shop, Toilets,

Coast guard station,All weather/All tide access & lighting

(most of which would be hard do to in Sydney Metro ramps ) and that the

main ramp has before 11am 3 launching lanes and one retrieval lane

after 11 which swap around and become 3 retrieval and one lauching.

Its the pontoons that make the biggest difference to launching &

retrieving and what I miss the most

Once you've launched you walk you boat to the end tie it off, allowing space for

the next person to launch while you go park the trailer. If its windy you can

either have you mate stand on the pontoon and hold the boat straight or wrap

your stern rope around a cleat and do it yourself. The best thing is that you can

launch/retrieve and get people off and on without getting your feet wet!

About 8 years ago in SA the Govt introduced a levy on all trailer boats

registration ( about $10 ) with the money going into a grant fund.

Councils can then apply for a grant to upgrade the ramp facilities.

And you know what local councils are like when free money's on offer.

Now every small metro ramp and nearly every major regional town ramp

have fantastic ramp facilities as those councillers sure like spending other

peoples money....

Although I hate the user pays mentality of NSW goverment with regards

to toll roads, I'd happily pay $10 extra a year on my boat rego for better ramps facilities.

I fished in metro Perth & Melbourne and Brisbane and all have great ramps -

Sydney has world class moored boat facilties everywhere you look - but metro trailer

boat facilties are severly lacking...

I'm glad to see that the ramp at Mooney Mooney now has a pontoon.

However one bonus - Where else can you be sitting fishing and a have a coffee boat tie

up along side you and make you a great Latte for the same price you'd buy it from a cafe

I havent used any at Botany bay, whats the best ramp like there?

Jason

Edited February 10, 2007 by PPSGT

[Old Nick]

All you blokes dunno when your well off with your ramps. I live in country S.A. and still pay the levy but we get nothing. We have to tow our boats over sandhills to launch them with Landcruisers, then launch in swell on the beach, when we can. Anyway, we don't want roads and ramps, cause we keep the area to ourselves. Selfish, but worth it !! They can (the Govt) can take the facilities tax off us though.

KG

[longtail]

At least the extra money the SA govt levies isn't being used against you to lock out the fishery. That will be my reality in March. 97,000 hectares of primo estuary, rock, beach and offshore island/headland will be off limits. The Pro's will be forced to smaller inshore grounds which will fish out rapidly. There goes everything else.

Freakin Marine Parks. If conservation was the TRUE agenda, (rather than evil Labor sucking green butt for preferences) surely licence revenue should be used to create/restore habitat. OK lock out the mangroves & Grey Nurse zones, use the rest to create artificial reefs. how much could it cost to get a barge,truck, some busted up storm channel pipe and some volunteer muscle? Hello green zealots, Lake Macquarie?

The thing that really upsets me is that I, and all licensed NSW rec anglers sponsored this. We were deceived & I fell for it

/rant ends

back to the topic

I used the ramp at Mann's pt Greenwich aplenty before moving up here to Pt Stephens. One lane, hazards on either side, concrete's all busted up, rock walls on either side of the waterline. nowhere to load/unload crew or gear. zero facilities. nasty nasty nasty shit.

But I always had it all to myself so I launched there all the time. nothing like ur own private ramp even if it's fubar. If anyone wants it, I'm giving it away.

Sydney does have shitty boat ramps compared to the rest of NSW. The four within 10 mins of me are tops.

[fishingrod]

Dropshot

I just sent you a PM about Nelson Bay ramps

thanks .... Rod

[longtail]

Hey Rod,

Check PM

DS

[Thunder]

The boat ramp at the container terminal is crap as the jetty is around 15 - 20 feet from the ramp and there are rocks beside it. It is 2 lanes and is concrete with the non slip grooves in it.

Launching is not too bad, but later in the day when the wind gets up, it blows the boat across the ramp and is a pain to get a half cabin back on the trailer.

I am going to try Cooks River next time as the wind would be coming from behind you instead of from the side.

For the amount of money we pay in rates and taxes, which is well above any other State, you would think the CBD ramps would be a lot better quality.

The best one I have been to is Crookhaven Heads at Culburra near Nowra, and Bellambi is quite good as well. Both are on the South Coast.

I think the fishing villages that rely on tourism are better serviced than the CBD as you are supposed to be sitting in the Cafe drinking the Latte, not sitting in your boat, getting million dollar views for free, and a feed as well if your lucky.

PS - I don't think I have seen any ramp as nice as the one in your picture.

Cheers

Greg

Edited February 13, 2007 by Thunder

[madmac]

my local ramp is good and has a jetty (Tench reserve Penrith), pity you can never get your boat on the jetty though, it is usually hogged by idiots sitting in their boats having a picnic. if people used it for the purpose it was intended it would be great. its only big enough to tie 4 boats to. it really pisses me off when i go down their with the kids, i usually end up having to tie it up on the rocks on the other side while i park my car. many times ive been tempted to rip it up these inconsiderate Aholes, but i usually bite my tongue. those ramps in Adelaide look awesome, ive never seen anything in NSW that even comes close to the ramps in your pics

[TheLender]

Sydney is Australias largest city, and located on a harbour and our ramps are hopeless, we need ramps like that one in SA.

[blue marlin]

I think the prize for the worst ramp in sydney goes to kurnell I hear the council is just about to

build us a new one. lets hope

[PPSGT]

I found so pictures of the Adelaide Shores ramp, which is 15 Mins from the CBD, so

I thought I'd add them in.

Its built on the beach, but you drive over the sand (and water at High tide) via a bridge.

then cross back over the bridge to the car park.

I cant remember how much it cost, but as I said in the earlier post those councils sure love to spend

other peoples money, but it certainly is a great ramp.

The original "ramp" was beach launching only.

The offshoot during construction was that Snapper came in during the dredging, and 20-30Lb fish were

caught 100 metres from the shore. The breakwater now attracts plenty of mulloway and was designed to

some extent to be accessable by land based fisho's

Reading the paper this morning yet another "super marina" is going to be built in Rose Bay, as

a lot of big boat owners dont like being on swing moorings so these facilities are urgently required.

To improve the facilites to a high standard at Tunks,Roseville, Manly, Rose Bay and Rozelle Bay would

cost less than a milllion dollars in total - far less than what the local & state govt will probably put in to

help fund the new marina.

Jason

[hal]

After seeing the ramps at Adelaide Sydney boat ramps are crap

[frankp]

whats wrong with the boat ramps at kymeegh and brooklyn.

i think they are fantastic when NOT BUSY.

frankp