Geelong at the helm of state’s ports Share
The Port of Hastings’ harbourmaster Captain Shane Vedamuttu will remain based at Crib Point.
The newly-formed Ports Victoria combines the Victorian Regional Channels Authority (VRCA) and Victorian Ports Corporation (Melbourne) and will control the strategic management and operation of the state’s commercial ports and waterways.
The change follows an independent review of the ports system which included 60 recommendations and was handed to the state government in November 2020.
The management move to Geelong comes four years after the Victorian Regional Channels Authority took over managing the Port of Hastings after it had been run by Patrick Ports Hastings, also known as Linx Stevedoring (“State resumes port control”
Meeting to preserve the pier
The pier was built in the mid-19th century and substantially reconstructed about 100 years later.
A new concrete section was built in late 2011, and there is growing pressure for the remaining wooden section to be kept for pedestrians.
News that the wooden section was under threat came in July 2020, when the Ports and Freight Minister Melissa Horne issued a media release headed Upgrading piers and jetties that included “the demolition of the inner section of the old Flinders Jetty in Western Port” (“Heritage pier faces partial demolition” The News 23/3/21).
Ms Horne was quoted as saying “We understand how important these piers are to their local communities so it’s vital for us to address the needs of residents and pier users”.