Wason Street - Ulladulla Harbour - Boat Ramp Repairs

The eastern boat ramp on the southern side of Ulladulla Harbour has been closed due to the partial collapse of the ramp. Due to Council funding constraints, Transport for NSW (TfNSW) with funding from Ms Liza Butler, MP for South Coast has commenced the process of assessing the damage and carrying out repairs with the intent to reopen the ramp before the upcoming holiday period.

• Public access
  open
• One lane
• Where Wason Street, Ulladulla 2539
• Project StatusCompleted
• Last reviewed 20 December 2024

The latest

20/12/2024 - Boat Ramp repairs on the eastern ramp are now completed with some minor works carried out on the associated jetty and western ramp. This facility will reopen to the public at 9 a.m. on 21/12/2024. For users of the western ramp, please continue to be aware of and adhere to the additional signage in place.

(PNG, 2MB)

About the works

In March 2024, Council received a report of a boat trail sustaining damage while using the Ulladulla Harbour boat ramps on the southern side of the harbor. This prompted a Council inspection that identified a partial collapse of the eastern ramp. This collapse was located towards the end of the ramp and impacted approximately ¾ of the ramp width with a drop-off of up to 0.5m. Due to the severity and location of this hazard, the easter boat ramp was closed to prevent further damage to public property and protect the safety of ramp users.

The western ramp was also inspected. This ramp presented with a 0.4m wide by 2m long section that had dropped a maximum of 0.1m. The damaged section is located on the outer edge of the ramp. Due to the location and nature of this defect, it was assessed as appropriate to keep this ramp open with existing ramp hazard signage in place.

Subsequent to this inspection a follow-up visual assessment was carried out by Council to determine the appropriate action moving forward. The outcomes of this assessment are outlined below.

Eastern Ramp

• Approximately ¾ of the width of the eastern ramp has collapsed, leaving a considerable drop-off.
  - This was brought to Council attention in March 2024 after damage to boat trailers had occurred.
  - The collapse is only visible at certain low tides as per the below image.

• It is believed the damage is a result of undermining of the ramp, the extent of which is unknown
• Observations and experience indicate the undermining is caused by boat impellers action within proximity of the ramp displacing sand
• Considerations for closing the boat ramp include:
  - The existing drop off is significant, generally not visible and has already caused damage to boat trailers
  - The mechanism of failure (undermining) which indicates further collapse of the ramp is likely. The risk of which is significantly increased if the ramp remains open due to additional weight being placed on the ramp during the loading and unloading of boats.
  - Future collapses are likely to be sudden block failure which would be a significant hazard to ramp users. 

Further to the above, it was determined that the repair of the damages on this ramp is beyond the scope and financial capacity of Council's maintenance crews, as such the ramp will remain closed until funding is available for either substantial repairs or replacement of the ramp. These funds are actively being sought by Council.

Western Ramp

Council assessment of the defects on this ramp was that no significant deterioration of the defects identified in March had occurred, however, in recognition of the risk associated with known hazards, an increased monitoring program would be implemented along with increased signage to improve ramp users knowledge of the hazard.

Where to from here

Due to significant financial constraints, Council does not have funds available to carry out repairs on the eastern boat ramp. However, with a strong recognition of the impact the ramp closure has on the local community, Ms Liza Butler, MP for South Coast has successfully secured funding for temporary repairs of the ramp. Subsequently, Ms Butler has engaged TfNSW to carry out repairs to reopen this ramp before the upcoming holiday period.

TfNSW has confirmed that they have engaged with a contractor to inspect the boat ramp and provide a recommendation on the required repairs. This recommendation will include commentary on the feasibility of completing the repairs before the upcoming holiday period. It is anticipated that information will be received by TfNSW today (29/11/2024).

TfNSW advised that they can act quickly to implement the repairs if the scope is deemed feasible.

Council will be made aware of the outcomes promptly and will subsequently provide an update on this website under the section labelled “The Latest”