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Lucky_Phill
27-11-2005, 06:50 PM
Prior to going to the Hervey Bay M & G at Dayman Park, I visited the Urangan Pier. At the entrance is a large sign which states, quite clearly, NO Dogs and NO Bicycles !

Not only where there bikes on said Pier, but I had to actually step over one to walk out to the end. Once at the end, the Pier resembled a bloody abattoir. Decaying bait, plastic bags, dried out Herring, discarded fishing line, empty soft drink bottles, fish scales and whole Mack Tuna, lying in the sun.

As a fishermen of many years, I was disgusted at the blatant dis-respect shown to this famous landmark. I will not lay the blame for this at anyone in particular, but I will say, the “ kids “ that inhabit this Pier showed me, in my time out there, that they are willing to forgo any manners and sense of responsibility instilled in them, by their parents.

I am not a member of the Fun Police. I will always encourage our youngsters to take up the noble art of “ Fishing “, but at what cost, I ask ? From a tourist point of view, the Pier is a dirty, smelly, polluted timber structure, inhabited by irresponsible locals. I know that a tourist may leave behind rubbish etc, but from what I have seen and had “ personal “ experience with, it is the Locals that contribute in the larger sense, to this mess.

As I walked back from the end, I truly felt embarrassed every time a ’ tourist’ passed me on their trek to the “ abattoir “.

One day, someone important enough is going to see this disgrace, and that Pier will be closed to fishing, and there will be only ourselves to blame.

So, if you read the headlines in the local paper saying “ man throws bicycles into the Bay “, send bail money to me asap. ( for the tree-huggers, that last paragraph is a joke, if ya didn’t get it ) ;)

So, those of you who now care enough, will probably ask, ‘ what did I do about this while I was there ? “. And a fair enough question it is. Well, I took note. I am prepared to go further next time, but for now, Hervey Bay Council will be receiving correspondence regarding this. It is their responsibility to police their rules, and it is also the ‘ kids ‘ responsibility to adhere to said rules. It is also OUR responsibility to address any wrongs in a manner that will encourage the offenders to think twice !

OK people, go your hardest............................

Cheers Phill

fullscale
27-11-2005, 07:28 PM
here here phill
its about time that the people of hervey bay took pride in this amazing place they call home , and if they have to introduce fun police so be it were would land based fishos be in hervey bay with out that peir , i will tell ,you paying $40 to go fish at kingfisher . its about time we as fishos show the way to the juniors and the seniors , and lets not forget the council that it doesnt take much to throw rubbish in the bin bait and scraps in the water or most of all for the couoncil to put rubbish vacilities at the end the pier but hey thats just my opinion

longtail
27-11-2005, 07:46 PM
as a former resident of hervey bay i know exactly what your talking about phill , i probably even know some of the locals responsible . but in the several years we were living there this problem was gradually getting worse. i think it is long overdue for the council to place bins at regular intervals along the entire length of the pier , and hire 2 garbos to empty them regulary (they can afford it , they charge enough for bloody rates). when i was last there (about 8 months ago) there was talk of council doing this , but by the sound of your description Phill it has not been done yet. when is the council and irresponsible locals going to wake up and realise what a people magnet they have in the pier? depending on how its looked after it will either attract or repulse visitors

i feel better now 8-)
cheers
jason

westie
28-11-2005, 04:13 PM
Not sure if the council should pick the tab on the removal of rubbish is the answere, a few STIFF fines may work better for the offenders. Councils will do it but why should the residents pay for it.

If the young ones can't pay the fine Community Service.

2 x people to walk the pier cleaning bins out round trip
1 Hr at least
X$ Per hour
X7 days
X 52 weeks
= RATE INCREASE

It would be a small group doing it . TARGET THEM first.

I am not a local but I am a fisherman, been taught to clean up after myself by my parants, along with RESPECTING others property.

Westie

plugger43
28-11-2005, 04:38 PM
phil i can tell you now that bins wont work for a couple of reasons,they would be to lazyto put the rubbish in the bin,at night they would throw the bins over the side secure the bins i here you say then they would light the rubbish in the bins,and i dont think it is a council problem.i have 2 boys who fish there a lot while most do the right thing the are those who stuff it for most.i dont know how to fix it but that is my 2 cents worth.

TonyM
28-11-2005, 05:23 PM
I'm a resident of the bay and also know exactly what you are talking about.

I have complained to the council several times over the last few years as I'm sure many other residents do. The council we have is hardly likely to win council of the year, although they are quite succesfull at spending our (much higher) rates on building facilities to get tourists here.

I don't mind money being spent on tourism, in fact it's a must. It's the lack of focus on fundamental infrstrucure issues that seems to be the recurring theme. I voted my opinion. however I think the higher than usual percentage of retired residents results in votes to get more facilities targetted at that one section of our community, in fact I'm surprised that there isn't a tram out to the end of the pier allready. It's the way the cookie crumbles, however I don't think I'm unreasonable in thinking that the basics are looked after first...

I have made similar complaints to fisheries on many occaisions re the illegal fish kept, and the senseless waste that occurs however maybe it's too far for them to walk :-?

Dug
28-11-2005, 06:04 PM
Re: throwing bikes and riders into a shark infested ocean.


Remember -- A good friend will come and bail you out of jail...BUT a true friend will be sitting next to you saying, "Damn...that was fun!"
;D ;) ;D ;) ;D ;) ;D ;)

land-lubber
28-11-2005, 06:25 PM
I fully agree with you. i am from Maryborough and spend a lot of my time there. in the last week leading up to the M&G, i was fishing it every day with Mharper2001. it is an absolute disgrace up there, fish guts on the pier, bait, bottles etc. we carted everything we took up out with us. i do know of the kids that are responciable, and every time i see em doing something they shouldnt (regular activity) i get up em. they were even throwing rocks in our direction when we were fishing the public pontoon in the marina, and i threatened to call the police, who i know patrol there regularly, and sure enough, around came the police on thier round, and did they pi$$ off in a hurry.
anyway, thats my 2 cents.
cheers

BTW, rubish bins would b REAL handy, i hate having to chase all my plastic wraps around the jetty when i open my tackle bag to get something and the wind blows em away.

Gazza
28-11-2005, 06:43 PM
Phill, you being a 'newbie' local ,i'd suggest :)
IF littering or hygiene laws ...aren't policed/monitored :-X adequately on the pier ::)
WHY should tourists visit :-? ,and spend bucks..to smell the place :-?
Rates/council/tourism.....are one and the same!!
Frequent inspection and emptying of bins,etc....would help
rather than ?good? recfishos 'expecting'
a tidy and healthy fishing platform :)
being blamed for a few bikes and bait and wasted fish.. :-X

theoldlegend
29-11-2005, 07:57 AM
Not an easy one, is it?

How about some bins strategically placed along the pier (the ones you can lock up to a post) and try them for a while. Is it possible for a ute to get out there and turn around and bring the rubbish back? If people set fire to them, then it's time to try another approach. Don't ask me what though.

The local paper could be approached to run articles showing photos of the mess and warning of dire consequences if the rubbish isn't cleaned up, although the council mightn't like the idea of fines as it would be a labour intensive and lengthy process and therefore costly.

The most extreme approach might be for the local council to close the pier altogether for a period as a result of people not doing the right thing. This might stir up some action. I guess it all comes down to education, in that part of being a responsible fisho is to take your rubbish away with you.

TOL

scuttlebutt
29-11-2005, 09:28 AM
One day, someone important enough is going to see this disgrace, and that Pier will be closed to fishing, and there will be only ourselves to blame.

#

this is true. I think it was considered very strongly before they refurbished the pier a few years ago. It was mainly public outcry that kept it open. I used to fish the pier as a kid about 20 years ago (geez, was it that long ago?) and it's always been a bit of a slaughterhouse. Kids have different perspectives though, and I used to look forward to seeing the big mackeral frames lying out in the sun, imagining what it would be like on the end of a line. The place was almost like a trophy display, with big dead trevally, tuna and mackeral laying about stewing in the sun. As a kid I loved it. I have a different outlook now of course.

I don't have the answers, just brought back some memories that's all,

cheers,

steve



I

Lucky_Phill
29-11-2005, 09:07 PM
Thanks for the responses so far.

More info has come to hand, that a Bait & Tackle Shop close to the Pier offers a $50 prize for the biggest fish landed ( I think this is done weekly ). So what happens is the " kids " catch their big GT's, Spanish, Queenies etc and lobe them down to the shop for a wiegh -in and pic, then they tale them back to the Pier and leave them on the timbers to rot in the sun.

Further, council has been ' harrased ' about htis problem, but at the moment seems to have other priorities.

Further, Fisheries have also been hammered with phone calls about this, but again, they seem to have other priorities.

With all due respect to the ' fine ' idea, we are dealing with minors here, these kids look to be as young as 12-15 years old. Trying to get them to coff up some $'s is going to be hard.

Bins are certainly an idea, and they could be made to withstand the ' trashing ' they will encounter, but, having a stinking bin out along the Pier does not actually solve the problem. The people that fish the Pier now, and take thier rubbish and bait and frames home, will end up using said bins, thus creating MORE stinky areas.

Maybe the Pier will end up like The Sand pumping Jetty down the Gold Coast, where one has to PAY for the privilege of using said jetty. These funds in turn will be used to clean and maintain the Pier. But that then locks out the Tourists that specifically come to Hervey Bay and want to walk the " Landmark " Pier.

Further, the pectoral fin was NOT removed from the Spanish Mackerel I saw hanging from the Pier on Sunday.

Do I have an answer ? Not yet, but certainly I have enough knowledge to push the revelant bodies into at least ' listening '.

BTW Dug, love ya work ;)

cheers Phill

Heath
29-11-2005, 10:07 PM
When I was there in August last year, I was also disgusted with the pier. My issue was not bikes but dog crap. All the way down the friggin pier. After my young bloke trod in the third turd in the space of 20m, we turned around & left it, never to return.

I too sent a letter to the council. never receieved a reply.

rodbender
30-11-2005, 12:25 AM
Hi PHILL I fished the pier on Sunday before the m&g got to the pier at 12.00am on the saturday night the pier was in a mess then.When i left to go to the m&g i pick up as much rubbish as i could & took it with me.Pick up the decaying bait and place it in the water. The state of the pier disgusted me that much so today Tuesday 29/11/05 i rang H/B council to complain, and asked about bin,s been placed along the pier. this is what i was told, the council would not do this because

1 The bin,s would end up in the water.
2 Set alight
I said they could be chained down
3 Then was told council had no way to collect the bin's.
4. I was then told I could put the request in writing but it would probably be a waste of time because the council would not consider it.
My mrs is going to draft a letter tomorrow and I will see how I go. Don't hold much hope. Will keep yous informed.
cheers reg.

kleiny
30-11-2005, 09:28 AM
phill i got bail money ;) to get you out or let me know maybe we could get a fair few bikes into the drink & start a new artificial reef :P :P
kleiny

Poseidon
30-11-2005, 09:31 AM
We as a family called into Hervey Bay on the way back from Bundaberg about 12 months ago, I wanted to show the wife and kids this great location, a location that I remembered spending a whole school holiday on when I was 8 yrs old (30 yrs ago) and having a ball.
When we finally made it towards the end of the pier we were met with exacatly the same sights as those mentioned above. The bad language being used by some of these "Ferals" was the last straw. How any person could take a family out there would be beyond me.
Walking back nearly to shore we walked past a guy who had brought his infant child out in a pram, child was baking in the sun, dad was cutting pilchards up using the sun visor of the pram as the cutting board, blood and guts going all over the infant. Some people don't deserve children.........
Back in the car and back to Brisbane.

What a shame that this historic location is being over-run by feral activity.

Regards Cameron.

TonyM
30-11-2005, 09:42 AM
hehe Kleiny, now that's what I call creative thinking! ;D

land-lubber
30-11-2005, 11:32 AM
hey guys, fished the pier again on tuesday, to reply to some of the queries/issues raised,

Lucky Phil, yes there is a big fish comp at the jetty bait and tackle, monthly comp, cash/goods prize. yes the kids kill all manner of big fish and kill em for the comp and they throw them straight back in the drink after thier finished at the weigh in >:(. I saw this happening last year and i got stuck into the fella that owns the place about it and he wouldnt give me a striaght answer, just saying he wasnt responciable for the actions of the kids. i have since suggested a monthly comp that targets just one species relevent to the time of year and a fish with some use. EXCLUDING GTs that get killed for no reason. that way, at least he will limit the carnage.

Heath. i have never seen dog crap on the jetty, though it wouldnt surprise me. it saved u seeing the mess at the end anyhow.

anyway, thats my thoughts/observations of the situation. the jetty is rapidly falling into disrepair also, so it may #soon be condemed anyway, loose railings, holes in the planks being patched up with ply etc.

cheers

BTW, the fisheries officers finally went for a walk on the pier on tuesday, when there were only a scattering of people on the jetty. i told em to come back on a saturday/sunday morning if they wanted to make any money.

gogecko
30-11-2005, 03:05 PM
Easy solution, do the same thing as Southport sand pumping jetty.

Put up a gate and toll booth. $1 for walkers, $3 for fishers, entry good for 24 hrs. Money recieved pays mans wages. He looks after booths and occaisional cleaning, hosing and bins.He makes sure no bikes/dogs get on. Low entry fee keeps riff raff out, end up with dedicated fishers/tourists only. Hours manned are 4am to 12 pm. Gate left open 24 hrs.

Excess money has been used to install fish cleaning benches with taps.

This works.
Happy?
Send this to the council, and send bourbon to me.

cheers
Andrew

DALEPRICE
30-11-2005, 04:12 PM
that pier has so much history that it would be
a crime to have it shut down one day, and if
things keep going the way its going its only a
matter of time. good luck.
dale

theoldlegend
30-11-2005, 05:22 PM
Apart from fishing, does the pier serve any other use? Reminds me of the jetty at Cleveland years ago when it was used by trawlers dropping their catches into the then Fish Board.

Once all that went by the way, the jetty was allowed to fall into disrepair and was eventually demolished as there were (supposedly) no funds to maintain/repair it.

I wonder if this is the long term plan in this case?

TOL

Derek_Bullock
30-11-2005, 07:52 PM
Hi

Have fished this Pier on and off since the early 70's. Back then it still had a railway line up the middle with huge transfer pipes where small coastal ships off loaded petrol. It was also maybe half as long again as it is now with huge sheds at the end. Where the end is now was a fence and gate and the pier took off at an angle to the left and north. The gate was as far as you could go. Well as far as the signs allowed you to go.

We used to get past the fence and under the sheds locals had built platforms above the water where we used to fish. It was one of the best landbased platform in Qld and big parrot, sweetlip and snapper were regularly caught.

When the ships stopped bringing in the fuel the pier fell into bad disrepair and it was closed to fishing and threatened with demolition. The locals got their backs up and went into battle to save it. A lot of fundraising ( a few dollars from this old bloke as well) and a lot of hard work saw the current part of it completely resurfaced and most posts replaced.

Yes I to have seen the missuse of it. The signs mean nothing to some people and I have even seem motor bikes out on the end. While I am not in favour of having to pay to utilise public places I reckon this is the only answer for this one.

Itholds a lot of fond memories for me as I taught my son how to fish on that jetty and to day he still talks about the "good old days" on the Urangan Pier when we regularly brought home more than just a feed.

Cheers


Derek

Jay_S
30-11-2005, 08:28 PM
How do we encourage the guy not to have the 50 bucks prize money???


Jay [smiley=bandana.gif] & Dad :)

dasher
01-12-2005, 10:09 AM
How do we encourage the guy not to have the 50 bucks prize money???


Jay #[smiley=bandana.gif] & Dad #:)

I'm on it for ya now Jay (&dad) ;)

dasher
01-12-2005, 10:13 AM
OK as an interim measure maybe all you nice concerned people could relate your feelings at the tackle shop and advise him you will boycott the shop until the comp is cancelled. Of course you will be telling your friends to do the same. Part one commenced more to come. >:(

jimbolikes_barra
01-12-2005, 12:35 PM
Good on ya phil i live in the bay and used to fish 'the pier' a fair bit but in the last five or so years it has i regret to say turned to shit. and it really anoyes me that the little turds trhat fish it regulaerly dont have any respect for fish or pick up their crap when they go home. >:( >:( >:(

i will be mailing all involved will the urangan pier and fisheries this afternoon and telling them how discrase full it is. and to be honest i think the government can sacrifice a fishing spot like the pier to stop the carnage that goes on there everyday. i have my fishing spots around the bay and i'd like to say god help the fish if some of the degenerates that make the pier like it is find out about them.

And again phil thank you for letting your voice be heard. and i think lots of people have bail money for you phil go get em tiger

bazza_mundi
01-12-2005, 02:37 PM
Like jibo I also once fished the uranag pier but got sick of either: people taking undersized fish, more than the bag limit, ducking to miss the flying trebles from the whiting jaggers and the pier rats (local kids that fish the pier) trying to flog off ur gear. I'm also sick of the language that can be heard from kids ass young as 5 or 6 fishing with their older brothers.

Countless times I have seen undersized mackerel being used to catch these so called "Turrum" which are actually GT's. I believe that the pier should be shut down as it would be an excellent breeding ground for the fish as there is an abundance of bait to feast on.

Hopefully something will be done so that the slaughter doesn't continue.

Happy fishing
bazza_mundi

land-lubber
02-12-2005, 10:03 AM
Its ok for u guys (Jimbo and Bazza) to say that about closing the pier down to all anglers, but there are some of us who are landbased and really appreciate the fishing platform it provides. i fish there regularly for Mackeral, Tuna etc and even whiting and Gar (legitimately of course). it is one of the only locations in the area that produces consistantly and has good quality pelagics etc. there are a few of us responciable anglers that fish here, and people come from all over just to fish the pier. Its the locals that tend to cause the problems, especially the younger fellas, even blokes my age are encouraging the activities. so before u say 'ah well, lets destroy it for everyone' think about us responciable anglers that respect our fishing location and the fish we catch and may not have another better option for fishing landbased for these species. Unfortunately, i fear that closure is the way its gunna go, but im going to enjoy fishing there while it lasts.
BTW, closing the pier will not protect the area or the fish, boat anglers will fish it and besides, there are not any resident fish left there. when was the last time u heard of an estuary cod caught there? or any other resident species of fish?? these fish have basically all been removed from the jetty, and it tends to only hold species that move through, like mackeral, tunas, whiting etc. hence the jetty, as a nursery, would take years to recover, even a decade, before the cross section of species returns in the numbers and quality that it used to have. by this time, it will have fallen into disrepair and probably would b demolished.
anyway, theres a few of my thoughts on it

Dasher, what did u do? #:o
i hope the poor bugger can still walk #;D
let me know next time u go down to give him sh!t, im there!!! #:D
cheers

Lucky_Phill
04-12-2005, 06:44 AM
I don't think closing down the Peir is the answer.

OK, have not recieved response from Council, Fisheries etc so far. But I will keep pestering them until I do.

I may have to organise a petition ?

Maybe I'll start putting the ' bail ' money aside now. ;)

OH, to those of you that use the Peir and do the right thing, [smiley=2thumbsup.gif]

Cheers Phill

cabfisher
04-12-2005, 07:43 AM
Hi All
I havent been to H/B pier I have drove past it but as I have a walking problin it was to far for me to try the walk.
Anyway I have been to Bribie Island Wharf and the fisho have made a mess of the seating there ect and I gess its a problin at most fishing spots .
What I am tring to say is why dont we fisho clean up our act and clean up after ourself and if you see some one making amess tell them to clean it up .
before it is to late and these fishing spots are closed to all of us.
Thats my 2 cents worth .
Cheers Harry

ba229
04-12-2005, 12:05 PM
First those Uruguayan got upset that we beat them in the soccer and now they are getting even with us by polluting our jetties and piers. ;D ;D ;D ::) (sorry, I had nothing constructive to say :D)

dasher
07-12-2005, 06:02 PM
Talked to the boss off the foreshore from the council today and the end of the pier will be pressure cleaned first thing tomorrow morning. Ongoing at this stage is weekly inspections. I'm sorry but won't know any more until mid Jan 2006. But the ball is rolling.