Sink the Brisbane projetc

[bugman]

Gents

Sink the Brisbane Project

The first Brisbane Stakeholder Advisory Group meeting was held on Tuesday the 14 July.

As you are probably aware from media coverage, things are progressing at a rapid rate.

Points of interest from the meeting:


7 The EPA is the Qld Government Department responsible for the ship, both now and when she gets underwater.

7 Sinclair Knight Merz or SKM have been appointed by the EPA as the consultants www.skm.com.au <http://www.skm.com.au/>

7 SKM has been involved with 2 of the previous wrecks. the Swan and the Perth

7 EPA will have a website live by early next week to answer a lot of questions and other relevant information. Site should be www.epa.qld.gov.au/sinkthebrisbane . A link should be available from the EPA homepage.

7 Adsteams tug Austral Salvor left Brisbane this afternoon bound for Sydney. She will return with the Brisbane on tow.

7 She will depart Sydney this Friday the 16th July at approx 12.00hrs

7 She will dock approx Monday 19th July at approx lunch/afternoon at Forgacs Cairncross Dockyards (FCD)

7 They have asked that we please do not contact the dockyards directly.

7 She will be stripped over the next 11 months, so we should be diving her this time next year, if the time line goes to plan.

7 Site located approx 2.9 miles from Mudjimba (Old Women) Island is currently the favored position. www.sunreef.com.au/pages/brisbane.html for info

7 It will be in approx 28m on a sandy bottom

7 This will put her just inside state waters (3 mile limit)

7 A marine park will be proclaimed around the wreck

7 Appropriate management plans will be put in place by EPA for the new marine park / permits etc

7 A 4 episode documentary has been commissioned by the government and has/will started filming ASAP

Bugman

[SeaHunt]

30 years ago they would have just towed her out there somewhere and blown it up. Now they have to spend millions on Red Tape first. :P
Anyone know the history of the EPA?
I mean were they called something else before, how long have they been around and what do they exactly do?
The US have one , are we just copying them .. again.

[drb]

Add will we be able to fish on it....
Probably not if some of the local dive shop operators have their way.

[bugman]

Daz,

7 A marine park will be proclaimed around the wreck

7 Appropriate management plans will be put in place by EPA for the new marine park / permits etc


My guess is full green zone on the wreck and extended yellow buffer zone around - similar to Flinders reef.

Bugman

[mackmauler]

can they do that bugman! bullshit..... >:(

[CHRIS_aka_GWH]

fair go rob,

you gotta protect those artifical reefs; its not like you can just build them wherever you want you know ;)


so does that mean they are going to protect the water colomn around it ie no trolling

[bugman]

I'm not on the inside on this one Rob but that's my guess.

Similar projects in SA and Vic are all marine parks - no fishing - no take zones.

Similar people are involved here and the Govt has only got the $$ in its eyes created by the influx of divers - and there will be heaps.

I know of two boats allready bought in Mooloolabah for the sole purpose of gaining diving rights to the Brisbane. In SA those lucky enough to get commercial rights have had a license to print money. I'm only guessing again that there'll be similar regulations and restrictions on commercial operaters on the Brisbane.

Bugman

[jaybee]

I can see the good side of a no take zone ie nursery for local reef fish as long as spear fishing is policed? Hey bug they say its going to be in 28 mtrs of water, is the mast going to be left intact, just thinking it would be fairly high from keel to top of mast, i beleive it has a draught of 18 feet.
cheers
Joe.

[bugman]

Joe,

I think part of the stripping will be shortening it's overall height.

The divers are actually pissed off (to a small degree ;)) because as part of the process to make it "safe" for diving they weld shut most of the hatches and basically leave some areas as a no go zone.

In other areas they cut specific holes to allow penetration. It's actually all designed before she goes under.

As for spearfishing - again similar to Flinders - my educated guess is that it wouldn't be allowed.

I'll have to brush up on my wreck diving ;D

Bugman

[bugman]

Don't you hate double ups #???

[jaybee]

sounds pretty good, just to be able to sound over a fully intact new wreck would be a buzz to watch on the sounder, as for going down there, count me out lol
cheers
Joe.

[Dug]

I wonder about starting our own reef there are a lot of old pipes clay lying round the farms round the coast. It would be great to start dropping them in one or two locations off the coast. It would be good if the council or government could organize for bigger pipes and used road culverts to be dropped to make more artificial reefs but the squabbles and red tape would stop this from ever happening.

[Jeremy87]

In some ways i think its a waste. All this hype on recycling and efficient use of resources and what do they do, sink thousands of tonnes of iron and leave it there to rust. It makes you wonder about the significance of chucking cans in the recycling bin when they do that.

[adrian]

will there be room for a few dozen jet skis ???????

anzac

[jaybee]

Dug starting your own arty sounds great, but like you say a lot of red tape, i beleive the moreton bay game fishing club? don't quote me, went through the hassle many years ago, with tyres strapped together, however, most of them broke up when they hit the bottom and are now sanded over, (heresay) who knows, maybe, if there is enough interest from this site we may be able to lobby the government to put one in out the back of green or somewhere else close. Hey, we have enough divers on this site that may put there hands up to monitor it for us.
cheers
Joe.

[bugman]

Rest assured gentlemen I will be aiming to get under the water to take a photo of her as soon as possible - like the 5,000 other active rec divers in SEQLD.

Maybe I can keep a photo record of one part of her and see how it degrades over the years.

Brett

[Dug]

Yes Jaybee I seem to remember something like that they put it on a sandy bottom if I recall. Gravel or rock would be better, I just keep seeing those big concrete pipes lying round (No pun intended) #and all sorts of concrete culverts etc.

I just think it would be great. Movement on the sea-floor is evidently the big stumbling block they have to be deep enough so they don't move round in a big swell. A few tubes off the Gneerings perhaps?

SA has a line of old car wrecks that is a top snapper spot.

Anyone know anyone with some influence or a spare landing craft? ???