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Port Welshpool Jetty
Other NamesPort Welshpool Shipping Pier , Port Welshpool Long Jetty LocationForeshore at end of Port Welshpool Road, PORT WELSHPOOL VIC 3965 - Property No B1379
File NumberB1379LevelState |
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Statement of Significance
The Port Welshpool Long Jetty was constructed at a site chosen by a
Royal Commissionon Outer Ports (1927). The jetty and its facilities
were identified as key to developing the eastern Bass Strait fisheries
and of linking to Tasmania to supply fish to the mainland.
Construction began in 1936 and finished in 1938. The jetty was built
using yellow stringybark sourced from near Woodside, east of Yarram. As constructed the jetty was 850m long, with varying widths along its
length, the maximum being originally 7.2m, later 9.1m. The jetty was
lengthened to 908m in 1982 for the supply of the Bass Strait oil and
gas industry. Originally designed to take locomotives, it was built
with longitudinal decking supported on bearers with longitudinal beams
supported by stringers. It was engineered to take substantial loads,
sufficient for steam locomotives on a 5 foot 3 inch gauge rail line.
The jetty broadened as it turned in a unique and substantial curve to
the Lewis Channel. The raked pile construction provided for a robust
structure in contrast to piers and jetties in sheltered bays. The jetty was purpose-built for coastal traders, but has had a
variety of uses, including as a base for mine sweepers during and
immediately after WW2; as the home base for the fledgling offshore oil
and gas industries in Bass Strait and as a recreational fishing
platform. Its isolation from residential areas facilitated its use as
a dangerous goods jetty for King Island and Tasmanian mines. The link to Tasmania was briefly restored from 1990-93 with the
operation of the Seacat ferry from Port Welshpool.
How is it significant?
The Port Welshpool Long Jetty is of technological and historical
significance to the State of Victoria at the State Level, and of
social significance at the Regional level.
Why is it significant?
The Port Welshpool Long Jetty is technologically significant as the
only known curved wooden jetty in Victoria and among the longest
remaining wooden jetties in Australia. It is unusual for its raked
pile construction. The Port Welshpool Long Jetty is historically significant as a
trading link between Victoria, the Bass Strait Islands and Tasmania
for more than 60 years. It provided key infrastructure for the
development of the Bass Strait fishing industry. Combined with the
coastal shipping trade that it generated, the Long Jetty has played a
key role in the historical development of South Gippsland, the Bass
Strait Islands and northern Tasmania. It is historically significant
as a base for minesweepers during WW2, and as a base for the fledgling
oil and gas industry in Bass Strait. The Port Welshpool Long Jetty is socially significant to the region
as a key infrastructure link between the communities of Bass Strait,
Tasmania and the mainland. Classified: 05/05/2012
Group
Transport - Water
Category
Pier/Jetty