Local News & Information
Coffs Harbour
RSS Feed
Coffs Online
These are just some of my personal ideas on what could be used to help Coffs Harbour Jetty based on my many years of experience in many fields of business. No one has to take any notice of it or they can use it at their discretion to make use of it for our town. This is just a small portion of my concepts and the rest can be found in the above index under "Concept Report". There's room in this plan for private enterprise to take up some of this expense and that would generate huge employment of our shire with some guidance.

Establishing A Town Brand Name Identity

Towns need to have an identity and currently Coffs Harbour is known to have a Big Banana but no real identity as such. Establishing an identity is important because it can help a town grow with investment, tourism and employment.
I propose calling it: Coffs Harbour - City Of Markets
Signage entering our town should reflect this name as well.

Coffs Harbour - City Of Markets. 

Is a strong marketing strategy built on existing fact in that Coffs Harbour runs an average of five markets per week and a car boot market extra once per month as well. Many towns all around Australia adopt a name to associate themselves to a theme.

Currently we have:

A weekly car market every Saturday.
A market under the palms car park every Sunday.
Growers market every Thursday in town.
Undercover car park market Every Sunday near the foreshore.
Open air foreshore market every Sunday.
Once per month market on railway land near the foreshore.

That’s a lot of markets and a real established identity we can build on. 
Coffs Harbour on the central Coast should elaborate on this idea and establish a market like that of Victoria Market in Melbourne Victoria.
This would bring huge tourism and employment prospects to this town for the long term and not just as a specialty type event. Sustained employment and tourism is what this area desperately needs. This idea is presented further down in this report with some more detail.
Having a permanent 4 day per week market would provide a huge growth potential for this town and would encourage the revitalization this town desperately needs. Couple this with new light fast trains between towns like Grafton and Port Macquarie would boost trade and tourism opportunities to many levels never seen before in this town.  Imagine the promotional offers that could be established alone. We have the climate and ideal location for all of this. Accommodation and over night market stays etc. Add boat trips, meals and much more. This would give our town a real boost. A lot more than just some new paths. Even without the train option if this can't be adapted somehow people will be drawn to a major market like this. Or bus companies could take up that challenge with trips up and back and they could be subsidized trips even.

The New 4 Day Market Concept

Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
Thursday, Friday and Saturday would be the normal trading type market with fruit and vegetables, meat, fish and general goods. Even many town stores from town can incorporate stalls into the market as they do overseas as well. The Coffs coast is an ideal growers paradise and no one is marketing that concept to the rest of Australia. Plants and trees, fruits, nuts, vegetables, buskers, new and used items, outdoor cafe and lunch areas and much more.

In the summer months a night market on Saturday Nights could be a big hit with tourism.

Sunday trading would be all mixed trading to trash and treasure like art, crafts, and antiques etc. More community involved type products.
That could take place on the main site plus around the gardens and other areas as they do now. Semi permanent structures would be required for quality all weather cover for most stallholders and the area should be sealed naturally. The preferred area would be the current railway/crown land near the foreshore where the current car boot sale is being held.

It would also be ideal if a new railway station and tourism hub were built in the same area on the opposite side of the tracks from where it is now and place car parking all along that section of land all the way up to the railway crossing. The rail station should include a transport hub for busses and tourism as well. With a central booking agency too.  Combine a new station (Fast Train ready possibly) opposite to where it is now. The market to be built on the site currently used for the once per month car boot market near the Jetty on the railway/crown land. It would be ideal to incorporate some of the existing markets in town to this area.  There's also room for a wholesale market at another location which I can go into then if interested. We already have a fish market area at the Jetty which could also be expanded upon.

Employment opportunities for many local people would be an enormous opportunity opening up employment in areas like retailing, growers marketing, local fish sales, meat sales and then part time work for people selling in many other varied areas of general goods. Plant nursery sales and the list is endless. Takeaway food sales, local cafes and accommodation would benefit and much more.

Even local retailers can expand their current sales area at a market stall as they do in many markets overseas. From areas like clothing and even places just to sell sale priced stock. You only need to see how successful Melbourne’s Victoria Market has been for over 100 years to understand the benefits. The money returned from site rentals alone could be used toward many current expenditures around our town. 

Employment options would increase 10 fold for market gardeners and farmers and many other avenues of retail selling employment. The growth would be massive for Coffs Harbour. The tourism if coupled to train and bus services would be also be massive. Coffs Harbour really needs this.
Not all existing markets around our town would have to be incorporated into this one area and that would be up to the operators concerned.
But for some they may benefit more with the increased flow of people traffic. Many of the larger cities that have full time markets also operate smaller markets as well.

The markets would be designed for all weather and all year round use. Covers would be supplied and designed just for that purpose. Not like as you see below. That's just the car boot market. There could be one or more main pavilion style structures with special isle type walk through structures as well. They could be removable or fixed style. There are several options that could suit that purpose. The meld of competition that also comes from such a market like this will also bring a fair trade system with it that will benefit residents and all surrounding areas taking away some of the monoply that exists in business today. The cities that have markets like this are all very successful towns with thrieving economies.

How we design the final mix of this market is up to the town. But having a meat, fish, fruit & vegetable, and general goods section is usually the most successful way. Then on Sundays have a giant free for all type of trading incorporating the above with trash and treasure being along the foreshore areas and even on the pier. Tourism numbers will grow as will visitor numbers to other parts of our town traders because it will become a main destination attraction. The whole town can benefit from this.   
We need a new rail station located opposite side of the tracks to the old one which would cater much better for tourism and future fast trains to our area. And it would be easier to find and get too. That whole area of land on the vacant side could become much needed car parking area. The parking could be made available from the station all the way up to the rail crossing. This is what Coffs Harbour needs as if there's events and markets on there at least we'd have the parking available. The new station should incorporate a transportation hub, tourism information desk and tourism booking agency for our town. Bus tours could also take place from there. Obvioulsy this could be done in stages but it needs to be looked at. If they want to save money for now the existing building can even be moved over to the opposite side of the tracks.
Boat Ramp Building Alternative Option At The Jetty Marina
Coffs Harbour Jetty Marina Area New Carpark, Pier, Slipway & Tidal Pool
                              A Better Option Boat Ramp For Coffs Harbour

This is an alternative plan which I think you'll find the engineers and planners will find a lot more viable and useful for Coffs Harbour.
I'll explain it as its only a very rough plan not drawn to scale.
The existing old slipway and old stores and sheds would be cleared away at the jetty. Its never been a safe and healthy area to be around. The operators there wear masks but people walking past there have no protection. The dust and chemical works are not safe to be so close to the public.

The car park areas in front of there extending up the restaurant would become a new car park boat turning area. Landscaped around the outer edges with some green still left between the restaurant area etc.

The old slipway area becomes a multi boat ramp area with enough width there for at least two of three boat ramps with floatation piers on either side. There are some options for the slipway area like it could have 2 or 3 boat launching sections. And the Slipway could have a new launch area which would be a preferred option. To be located near the end of the new pier / carpark area.

On the far side of the outer floatation pier there's room there left for the boat slipway ramp. It needs modernizing too with portable over head lifting cranes as used in other slipways. There are options available to place the slip way ramp a different way along a whole section as required. That can easily be worked out to suit.

I think the most exciting option is the reclaiming of a section of sea which I've rated as 300 metres wide which I think would be most suitable minimum width. To extend that length would be advised if funds permit. The width into the sea along the whole length could be varied but I would recommend at least 100 metres making it an area of say approx. 300 metres in width along that shoreline x 100 deep into the sea.
That can be extend right down to the length of the existing small road that's there. From the Marine Park Building to the end of that rock wall.
The beach end of the pier then becomes the kids tidal pool.
That gives you a new slipway area, car, boat and tourism bus park. Lots more much needed car parking for this area. 
It opens up the whole bay view as well. Some portable food vendors could be permitted there too.
The edge sea wall can be used as a pier for crew ship boats, ferry boat rides, tour boat ramping, fishing etc. Lots of options open up there.

The reclaimed section of the sea part is basically an L shaped section added on to what's already there. The sand would be pumped out of that L section for a more stable foundation of fill for reclaiming. The work looks worse than it is and the biggest plus of all is it all becomes the safest boat ramp option and we get a new multi use pier for all year round use. The tidal flows on this side of the bay are much reduced in that area.
The view for tourism would be a massive plus for Coffs Harbour.

The construction of the new boat ramps could be done in a small time frame but the boat slip would have to be temporarily located in the new open car park boat turning area for the time being.  The end result would be well worth it and the costing would be well within what you have to spend now. This is the safest guaranteed long term boat ramp area for Coffs Harbour. And the most cost affective option.

Yes obviously a lot of fill is required which I feel is very possible by quarrying out a section of the tip area and using that as fill and at the same time extending the life of the tip area. A two fold benefit. The creation of this extra car parking will also benefit the whole area.

This is just a very rough mock up view of what a better safe boat ramp could look like minus all those boats at the back naturally.
Having a tour boat pier and car park next to it opens up more industry opportunities for local operators to expand on. The old area just simply hasn't catered well for this to take place as its always been hard for people to find all day parking for such day trips etc.
You can also follow that building this pier on the calmer side of the bay is of huge benefit to this project. Yes the finished area will need some dredging no doubt to make sure suitable depths are available. It may be possible to do most of this with a long reach excavator. The new pier could also be used for fishing which would be very popular and no where near as high as other areas.
There would be around 3 times more parking than the current boat ramp area once completed with the new boat ramp included.
Safe handrail walkways down to boat levels could be applied along the face of the new pier areas. There's a few design options that could be applied to that use even with some basic hydraulic swing around and lift types.

A section of land could be reclaimed easily from the sea along this stretch of what is now rocks and a road on the top. Extending that into the sea for use as a large car parking area and having the front face of it used as a pier for future ferry boat tours. The back shore end side could be capped off with some of the concrete blocks thereby making an economical and safe tidal pool. Some slides into the water could be added to the end of the the new pier and car park as well. This would be a big local and tourist attraction. Walking paths could meet there as well from updated park areas. The clay fill for the car park could come from the rubbish tip making way for more rubbish fill back there as well. The example shown isn't even close to scale but it gives you a rough idea of what I mean. The end of the pier would be closer to where the water police are as a guide. After that it becomes a safer tidal pool for kids and adults. The new jetty pier would offer at least 3 times the car and boat parking currently available at the old site. Plus more parking would be expanded in other adjoining areas. We need this for now and the future. The new pier could be made to accommodate visiting cruise ships as well if they chose that option. Yes it would cost more regarding foundation work and dredging. The town needs to buy its own screw dredge for this work and ongoing other works like in the Coffs Creek and other areas.

Note: The Boat Slipway should always be located away more from people for health reasons with the chemicals and dust from the works there.  The slipways new location is more suited for its operations and can have an entrance from the marina side to suit its application or ideally locate the slipway in one of the old quarries on the other side of the bay as its a toxic industrial process. That would always be my first choice. The beauty of this pier is its lower overall cost of construction in that it's made from clay ground fill. The outsides will need to be concrete walled edges into the depth of the water down to the foundation level. The existing rocks along there can be recycled and used again toward the tidal pool end if wanted. The walkway to the pier along that new rock wall would be an optional choice. A free use water slide would be very popular if introduced at the end of the tidal pool no doubt. The free slide/s and water pool could be monitored on weekends and public holidays. There would be a road going from car parks along to the boat slip and new pier as shown in white on the rough mock up photo. Most of that road is already there.
                                                                                  Suggested 4 Day Per Week Market Site

Even if we can initially get a 99 year lease on this land for the 4 day per week market we could get the ball rolling and get job creation working for us more in Coffs Harbour. It will bring many more people to our town for all manner of business and trade and is the step we need to take to get a form of industry established here that we need and suits our area. All retail stores and others will benefit from the influx of people. Towns that have large retail and a wholesale market get thousands of people visiting every week from all around as its a major attraction.

All of this railway/crown land would become the new "Four Day Permanent Market" area. Some of it is needed for the commercial parking for vehicles of stall holders and the rest would be all market. Visitors parking would extend all the way up and along the currently vacant railway land up to the rail station. More parking would be available on the new pier as well. A pedestrian crossing ideally solar with press only red light system there would ensure a safe crossover to the market area. There are some extra options to some extra parking there too if interested and I can show you those options if it progresses. Normal cars would all use the other car parking not at this location.

Once this whole area of land were cleaned up and surfaced it would also be of a multi use a couple times of the year for say some extra large events as well perhaps. We just need say two sets of public toilet blocks with some separate shower sections built in for future use on occasions built on this land. A large main roof structure for a main pavilion. The rest of the structures could be semi permanent with lots of options there to think about for market use and for future event use.  As a "city" we need to progress and get the best out of our town and for our region by providing many more employment options and this is one of those commitments we need to make for Coffs Harbour.

This is by no way any type of over development for this area and it still keeps it open to other uses but more importantly its providing employment options for many years to come. Every Sunday many of our smaller current markets can be  melded into this complex area as well as along the foreshore and on the pier area. Making it a super market area every Sunday. Parking would be provided as per my plans.
                     What We Get For Our Money With This Plan

Coffs gets a strong trading identity.
Builds a strong future sustained employment growth industry in many sectors and flow-on to other businesses.
Increases tourism.
We create a huge attraction being the 4 day Market.
We get the best and safest boat ramp for our area.
A new and much needed slipway upgrade.
We get a new pier.
We get a place where boat tours can take place.
We get lots of extra and much need car parking on the new pier area.
More parking all the way along the railway track land side.
Parking set aside for buses, caravan travellers, car with boat trailers and more cars on the new pier as well.
Room for other bus parking near car boat turning circle as well. A lot more parking everywhere.
A safer road crossing.
A safe tidal pool for kids as a huge attraction with slides at the deeper end.
The new pier provides places for recreational fishing.
Obviously the parks and path areas would be upgraded to suit. 
Increased business and growth opportunities for the existing fish market.
The chance to open a separate wholesale market section as well at a different location.
Making way for a new and modern rail station, transportation hub and tourism booking information sector.
Bringing more scheduled train services too and from our town within easy day trip time frames at least on say Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
Add a permanent tourist steam train on weekends.
Expanding our whale watch and tour boat businesses from the new pier area.
Add a helipcopter pad near the break wall old boat ramp car park area for joy flights.
Read my "Concept Report" at the to index for more.
No high rise required anywhere.
                                          Its all About Perspective

These are real tangible changes that will benefit the whole economy of our town for years to come. To say we just need some drainage works and paths and a little clearing would be a nonsense as that's not really going to benefit our town for the long term. In fact if that's all that's planned we may as well not waste our money at all.

We need these physical changes as I've suggested because its putting gold back into the town and it will make it a viable concern again in the eyes of people living here but also for the future of ongoing investment and tourism. If we don't go ahead with these projects it will just end up being another public exercise and it'll put us another step backward in the whole scheme of things. Other towns will reap the reward of their work while our town slips further backward with more businesses doomed to failure.

Couple these projects with the rest of my Concept Report and if introduced in the right way our town could be booming ahead and out of debt in no time. But it will take a better level of understanding than has currently been used in the past. We desperately need to move forward and I'd be happy to be part of that process to show the ways to get many of things that have always been on the wish list but never eventuated.

There are several ways to get things like the entertainment centre and better and bigger facilities without it costing us much to nothing at all. Its all about perspective and how things are being done. Then having the experience to introduce those concepts. We don't need to sell out to high rise to become a more successful town.
A New Or Moved Rail Station Onto The Other Side Of The Tracks
                                              Safe Tidal Sea Pool

A safe sea tidal pool could easily be added at the very end of this reclaimed sea land and using some of the those concrete blocks that were created. A very rough view below. The concrete blocks are just added from the end of the pier and extended to the sand foreshore.
The safe tidal pool for kids and adults would be an easy add on as part of this construction. New path design could take in the new pier and revised boat ramp area and would be very popular. Various  shade seating, bike tracks, snack vendors, outdoor eating etc, could be added in those areas.

Combine these: The jetty upgrades, the sea pool for kids and adults, upgraded parks, the markets and upgrade all parking, paths and we would have a viable and renewed area our town could be proud of. No high rise but major improvements for tourism and employment for our whole town.   It would open up the view of the bay area in many ways.
A Good Catch - Commercial Fishing Coffs Harbour - The Wholesale Market

Coffs Harbour does have a commercial fishing industry and it could definitely benefit from having its own wholesale trading market as part of the 4 day market concept for this area. Another concept worth thinking about is the old Bunning's building could become the Wholesale Market Trading Complex Component separate to the 4 day market proposed above as well.  These are massive employment shifts for our town and would no doubt attract major funding from the government.  We're talking lots of employment of our shire with these options don't forget. If the town is going to spend money and from grants lets make it work for us employment and tourism wise.  We need a lot more than some paths and a car park to achieve that.  The old Bunning's warehouse would be an ideal Wholesale traders market for our region. 

Video slideshow made on the 15-08-2013.
Up to 6 large boats like this could use the new jetty pier plan I've provided. Its gives our area many more commercial water access opportunities for the future. Photo taken on the 15-08-2013 at Coffs Jetty. The new jetty pier would also have lots of new vehicle parking too.
Turn this land into the 4 day Market.
Use this land along the railway for car parking for the market and for events.
Leave this section of land as is for the yearly Christmas fair area and for market space but add sealed footpaths. Consider extending the fair period as well to say 3 months or more of a year. Or even a permanent version like in Geelong, Vic.
& the Luna Parks etc
Extra Guide Photos
Click on photos to enlarge. So the new pier would go right up to the Marine Park Authority area. After that it becomes the new Tidal Pool for kids. Its not as complicated as it looks and can easily be achieved. A filled in pier is extended out into the water making it big enough in size to accommodate good parking for cars, boats and more etc. That whole piece of road in view extends on to the new pier area. The old car park in front of the slip area needs to be cleared to make way for boats turned etc. There'll be plenty of room there for parking too as it can extend all the way up to the restaurant. Some dredging will need to take place to suit after the pier has been completed. The tide in the tidal pool will vary the depth so clear markers will need to be place there for that. It may require a little dredging too. Some slides can be placed at the end of the pier into the kids tidal pool.  You can even reuse many of these rocks to make a wall to extend to the beach from the end of the pier for the tidal pool thereby saving more money. The material is there for that and the fill can come from the tip. All this work is very achievable.
And the cost won't be excessive at all for we we get back. The extra car park in this newly opened area would be a huge plus for our town.
And we get a new slipway at the other end of the new carpark - pier area as well. Its all a win win situation for our town. In real terms the cost for building all of this is very affordable for our town. Some grant funding should be obtainable for it too.

Pier Construction Options

There's a couple of ways to build this pier and most can be done by council. The easiest way would be to use excavators and remove sand within their reach along the length of operations.  Then put fill in up to that distance each time. Then again remove the sand with the excavator and do the same again as they proceed the distance into the water. If there are deep areas out of reach then it will need to be dredged out first before the fill is placed in. Once some fill is placed in you'll have a lower base to work from as you progress outward. Each section at a time can be worked at shallower ends at high tides and other areas at low tides so the work can progress at a fairly rapid rate. 

Steel form work can be contracted out for the final 3 concrete walls around the outer sides of the pier. This is the most expensive part of these works. The steel section formwork must be pile driven in along the face of the pier ready for concreting. The finished surface of the pier can be of either concrete or a bitumen. The water face walls needs to be of concrete and can also have a large retaining rock wall backing for added strength behind it under floor level. All that rock in the center photo will be used again. It can be removed as you go and placed in a pile somewhere till its used again around the outer wall as an extra strength base and the concrete gets poured into a wall in front of that. We need a smooth concrete wall along the front for tour boat mooring. The largest pieces of rock should kept aside for use along the very end of the pier to the shore for the tidal pool use or they could use some of those concrete made hanbars or rocks instead.


The clay fill can come from the tip and the sand that comes out from the actual work site can be reclaimed for use in other areas where erosion may have taken place. Some dredging will need to be done outside the pier when completed. A little can be done with excavators along the pier length thats within their reach.  How much dredging will need to be determined at the time. There is no reason why the bulk of the work can't be done by council and using some large truck contractors as required and then out source the wall concreting work. The surface of the car park on the finished pier can be done by council too. This is a very doable task that will benefit the whole town for years to come.

The new slipway for boat works would be best placed on the deeper end of the pier but there are options to place it right away off the pier altogether and I can discuss that with you but you'd need to update the boat handling equipment then. They would have to use slipway cranes instead then. That would be the best modern option but then major expenditure by the slipway operators would need to take place. Most modern slipway operators use the movable over head cranes now.
There's good room here for a car/boat trailer turning circle and for extra parking as well. Right up to the new boat ramp area. Don't forget this is a marina for boat use! Having the boat ramp there only makes sense and you know its much safer.
Parking can go up to the Yacht Club Restaurant.
These old boat slip works in Coffs Harbour need a major upgrade into the modern times now too. There relocation and upgrade would also be a boost for this area too. Its a health safety hazard where it is. Boat slips are normally in more industrial zone areas away from the public not where people walk past all the time as it is now.
The current location of the station is hard to find and is poorly located for tourism use.
Having vendors like this move on to the new pier as semi permanent would be a plus for the area too.
A free step on step off bus travelling all around our business town circle and to the jetty, station and market area is what we'd need once its all up and running. 100% Financed by the business community. In operation on all 4 market days. Stops at: Jetty pier, New Rail Station, shops at bottom of Harbour drive, New 4 Day Market, Coffs Central, Park Beach Plaza, Big Banana, Dolphin Park etc.
At least two morning and afternoon trains to Grafton and Port Maquarie on the 4 market days. Introduce travel and accommodation packages as well from new rail station too.
We must ensure we cater much better for people on foot so walking paths need to be wide enough for people, bikes, skaters, mobility scooters and prams etc. Use solar press only traffic lights where possible to ensure safe road crossing practices take place. Get it right once so we don't have to do it again. On weekends we need kiddy rides on say a small train like ride which could be run by say Rotary using the profits to benefit what they do.
A Rotary or private run ride like this would be popular with kids on weekends.
Various themed bollards like these could be scattered all around the parks and walking areas. Not hard to make and I'm sure school art departments could do well decorating these to all sorts of interesting works of art. Themes of people at the market, fishing, travellers, shoppers, kids, historic ideas etc. Most of this art work could be done for free if the poles were provided.
This is the current boat ramp parking area. The new jetty pier would offer at least 3 times the car and boat parking currently available at the old site. Plus much more parking would be expanded in other adjoining areas. We need this for now and the future. Currently parking is a real issue when even local events or markets are on. I would propose this area become a Helipad for joy flights and for future Hot Air Balloon Flights etc.
I filmed similar options at other towns around Australia for boat owners using the car parks and ramps for their use.
Coffs Harbour should consider this with my above plans. Its just another option to think about.
                        Coffs Harbour Jetty Concepts
                                                                This page may be updated regularly so please check back soon.

Checkout some of my alternate options for the Jetty Area including:
Four Day Market.
New Boat Ramps.
New Boat Slip Location.
New Pier For Tour Boats. Widen all rock walls and walks to broaden appeal and safety for the marina.
Recreation Of Jetty Town - With Pioneer Village, A Rail & Maritime Museum.
Location For Lighthouse Placement.   Tidal Pool.
Let Coffs Harbour get the employment it deserves with these plans designed to drive people here and create major employment.

                NOTE: I'm currently available as a hands on consultant to bring these changes about if there's enough interest to make the changes required.

        Just scroll down the page as there's lots to see in options for Coffs Harbour!
Dive Boat leaves Coffs Harbour Jetty because its the safest place even when the water is a little rough.
It makes sense to have this as the best location for the boat ramps for our town.
This road to the Jetty is too narrow and could easily made almost double lane width. The walking path can be moved to around the back way which is more serviceable and could lead to the Jetty and to the new pier and marina area. The double lane width is mainly to cater for boats that can go to the new boat ramp unloading area as specified. Its doesn't have to be that wide right up to the end of the Marina.
I filmed this boat handling system at Beachport - SA.
This is what many slipway areas are using now.
Showing just a small section of the road falling away into the sea where I was told they were going to widen it out perhaps soon. Surely if the council got together with the relevant bodies they could negotiate a better use as I've outlined above for including the above project to benefit the whole town.

Our council needs to use some basic vision and think of the future for our area so we get the best possible value from what we have. And also think of the tourism benefits. This is where the new pier could be filled out to sea for new parking and a new slipway.
If they want to save money for now the station could be moved to the other side of the tracks.
Making Coffs Harbour A World Class Town With Top    Facilities And Attractions
Boat Ramp Tidal Surge - Coffs Harbour
Coffs Harbour boat ramp was built on the wrong side of the Harbour due to tidal issues. I made this video on a very calm day to just show the effects of the tidal surge. Its more like the view you'd see on an open beach area. On rougher days people have nearly lost their lives with boats even going under. The sand is also always filling up the mouth of the ramp area creating another danger issue. Clear proof the ramp is in the wrong location. You can notice the surge clearly on this calm day and the boat ramp should be moved over to the jetty marina area where there's protected guaranteed calm water without the surge everyday of the year.
Here's another very rough mock up view showing a simple sea pool which could have a free water slide placed on its end. That joins on to a new car park and pier that could be used for cruise boat trips, diving boats, fishing charters etc. Boats would only berth there at specific trip loading and unloading times. Before that in the Marina naturally. If the waters were too rough it wouldn't be used anyway. So its for normal weather use and this is the mildest area side of the bay regarding currents. An extra walkway / cycle way from the new pier to the beach could be optional. The new slipway would be located on the far side of the new pier away from the public as it should be for health and work reasons.
The main building in view can all stay there as they're not in the way at all and there's room there for roads to and from the new marina boat ramps and car parks as shown below. Some mesh grated pipes would deliver water in and out of the tidal pool.
Car Park right up to the restaurant.
Can drive straight on to new pier once there and down along Marina on the inside section.
Some workers at the current old boat slip wear alien like breathing equipment to protect themselves from the toxic dusts and fumes from cleaning and painting the boats but people walking around nearby along the fence have no protection at all. Wake up Coffs Harbour Council you know this isn't in the right location for the commercial works carried out there. As it is the whole property is a toxic dump area from former chemicals used. Relocating the boat slip as I've suggested above makes sound sense.

I walked passed there this morning 7-7-2014 as I film around that area many days and I could barely stand the smell of the toxic paints and chemicals being used there. And I was walking on the rock wall path some distance away. How could our council allow this?
Old Boat Slip Area Is Toxic To Be Around
The current location of the old Boat Slip Works is a commercial area and the fumes and dust produced is toxic and shouldn't be located in its present area. The lease is up and its a great chance to relocate it to a more suitable area away from people walking past each day subjecting them to this toxic pollution taking place. Most towns that have slips like this usually locate them more away from people where possible.

Locating the a new Boat Slip with more modern handling systems as shown below is well over due for Coffs Harbour. Placing it on a new land fill pier as shown in the plans above would resolve these issues and open up the view more for the Jetty Marina area. Giving the town the breath of fresh air it desperately needs. The new pier formed will have many uses from much needed car parking, tour boat area, Boat Slip at the far end, and a water slide running into a new tidal pool. It all fits together and will change Coffs Harbours view for the better.  
You couldn't ask for a better place to relocate the main boat ramps to here. Shown at the Jetty Marina. Why wouldn't you locate to the safest place for boats to be used at from here? The boat slip isn't suitable where it is so why not move it to the new pier concept as I've outlined above.
Could We Build A Recreated Tourism "Jetty Town" Along Near
The Boat Ramp Area Opposite The Deep Sea Fishing Club?
What would people in Coffs Harbour think about recreating a 1928 version of our Jetty Town as a tourist attraction? The concept of building a recreation of this Jetty Town complete with a tram going along the jetty area and onto the newly made rock wall could be an excellent tourism boost needed for Coffs Harbour. Naturally no ratepayer funds would be sought but rather looking at tourism grant funds if they were ever to be made available could possibly be sourced for such a project. I expect it could be built for around 1 million dollars without the tram. Less will volunteer labour. Under a Tourism and Heritage Grant. The options for rides could be a tram, horse and wagon/carriage etc. Which could be tender out for public enterprise.

Fabricated with durable imitation old style weather board construction using textured hardiboards with old style shop fronts with veranda's would set the style for a group of tourism related stores that could be let out for such use. Perhaps a private operator could be sourced to run a tram type service ride around the area and it wouldn't have to be on rails. Our town as its stands really has very few reminders of the past and recreating a small section of Jetty Town as it was would be an historical reminder and a tourism boost for that area of the foreshore. It would all fit on the green section over the road from the Deep Sea Fishing Club. There is parking nearby.

Jetty Town was an historical icon of its time for our town and really never should have been removed so building a new version of it would in fact restore some of that damage and give us back some of our town heritage for the future at least. While other towns kept many of their historical areas and buildings Coffs Harbour took them away.  The loss can never be replaced but I think a recreation could make some sound business sense in that it could attract tourism and make the area interesting again. Combing the recreated lighthouse on the one of the ends would also become an icon for our town that people would like to visit. I know I travel long distances out of my way just to see different lighthouses. Combing it all together like this creates a viable long term investment for our town. A horse drawn tram from the Jetty Town along the new rock wall would create a huge tourism interest over time.
Rebuild a version of Jetty Town.
Returning some history back to Coffs Harbour.
The Old Lighthouse Light could be incorporated into this Jetty Town project on one end of it incorporating a maritime museum in one of the stores.
The light is in working condition.
Currently displayed at the Table Tennis Club in Harbour Drive.
Train rides on weekends and public holidays would draw people here. Put that together with "Jetty Town" and a horse driven tram concept you're on a winner. Add the four day market to that and things should be even better making us the most popular place to visit in the state.
     Jetty Town And Trams Used In That Area Are Part Of Our Town's History!

These photos are of a horse driven tram at Victor Harbour in South Australia taking people for a ride up to and along the pier. We have two piers where that could take place From Pier to Pier with Jetty Town in between?
This could be a huge drawcard for our town and combine that with my 4 day market concept detailed above.
  Coffs Harbour needs some major attractions like this to get people to flock to our town regularly. It would all be a massive employment boost for our area too. The public transport side of this could be tendered out so its no cost burden to the ratepayer's naturally.

It may be possible to get some heritage grant funding and also employment incentive funding for such projects like the Four Day Market and Jetty Town. Both these options could bring and create major employment for our region. The market proposal alone could also be out sourced through private tender as well having a company take it on for instance. Personally I think it should be Council run and controlled so the town gets full benefits back. Renting our permanent and semi permanent stores. The Jetty Town stores could be leased out on three year with option leases. Keeping one store for say a maritime museum section next to the lighthouse. The transport options for tourists can be private enterprise with varied options. We don't want ratepayers bearing any of these costs when it doesn't have to be that way.

The Jetty Town concept is tourism based and ideally would coincide with the four day market and the options of rides by trams or horse drawn vehicles and train rides on weekends. More if it warrants it. Its a fit together combination of projects devised to get the maximum back from tourism and hopefully future extra bus and or rail travel to the market area so we can make a day of it for people visiting. A shopping and travel experience all in one. Accommodation places should make a good hit from combination offers to get people to stay here. Retail stores will also benefit by extra people trade and extra sell options at the market as they do overseas. (I'm also an International Business Consultant so I do know this end of business very well.) I will be releasing my new version book of Retail Dynamics soon.) 

We have the climate suited for all of this and the location is second to none. Combine that with the Jetty upgrades we should be on a winner. Most of it all can incur mostly private enterprise but should also benefit council in rental returns. Money which can be put back into he town for improvements like sealed paths so people can walk better around our town and use better bike paths. Bike rentals as they do in other cities can also be offered. It can't be all done at once but I think we have room to think well of these projects and funding could be sought from many sources seeing the employment potential for our town alone. The market complex could alone could generate well over a thousand jobs and flow on jobs throughout the district.
A fuel powered tram.
This is just a very rough mock up photo I put together of old building styles as I haven't got the originals from the area but there's lots of room for imagination to make up a new tourism version of  "Jetty Town" recreation look for Coffs Harbour. Placing the lighthouse there would also make it an attraction as its easily accessible. I've placed it in the rough location I've suggested opposite the Deep Sea Fishing Club. The sea and old pier in the background. Very picturesque. Parking would be over the road and along further and not in front. The 1928 store fronts, sign writing and heritage colors would make the theme of Jetty Town look very period real. Down the road a little further a working rail museum could also be incorporated. Perhaps some rail items could be obtained from various areas like Dorrigo where they serve little real purpose at present.

The Lighthouse fits in location wise with the sea in the backdrop. A few reproduction period street lights would set it all off. This is our town history don't forget along with the trams used at that time. It doesn't have to be exactly the same as long as its period matching and perhaps try and get some of the buildings named the same would be good. Its has to be viably attractive and useful as well. Many other towns have built such projects and its a huge tourism winner and drawcard for each town. Combine that with the 4 day market and it would put Coffs Harbour on the tourism map. One of the buildings near the end could be a maritime museum with a recreated lighthouse nearby.

A lot of this work could be built by volunteers if the materials could be funded for instance. Some old anchors outside that area near the lighthouse would add to the experience as well. We could use the ones at the old museum. Its just takes a little vision. Many towns spend millions on museums that end up closed because they're not tourism orientated. This project I designed is and could pay for itself and its private operators using the stores that could be let out for tourism. Some could be built by say the TAFE School as a working and learning project perhaps? The secret for its success is I think would be dependent on the 4 day market as one compliments the other viability and promotion wise. You need the drawcards to bring the people which a full time market would bring. With that comes masses of employment opportunities.
A typical Sunday view of how busy it is when a Sunday market is on and perhaps what we could be getting 4 days per week with a better permanent district market. There were just as many cars parked behind me. Filmed 10-08-2014
Businesses like this along the Jetty strip would be much busier if there were a 4 day per week market nearby.
Rail motor could be a real ongoing attraction for our town. They just need to move the station to the other side of the tracks to make it more user friendly.
Most of the market could be built using leased options for long term business interests like that of a huge main building/s that would collect reasonable affordable rents from tenants. Outside but undercover type areas that could also collect rents. A fish and meat market could be incorporated. Fruit and produce as well as general product market sales including antiques, collectibles, craft and other new products. Overall there's opportunities for hundreds of new job creation opportunities in that area and for those in farming and produce sectors as well as for local fisherman's produce.
This slipway is located at Queenscliff in Victoria. The gantry just rolls out along the path in the front.
                                        Working Rail Museum Concept

Coffs Harbour needs people magnet attractions. Building a working rail museum with some operating trains and exhibits would offer to that vision. I’m sure that with some enthusiastic operators and volunteers a rail museum could indeed be a big feature attraction for Coffs Harbour.

Combining that with the “Jetty Town” recreation would bring major tourism to the region. Vintage trains are being left to rot in areas like Dorrigo and other places that have an abundance of stock which I’m sure a working deal between areas could be worked out to get some starting stock. There are many options that could include horse driven rail trams on to the new rock wall and to other areas around the Jetty. This has been done on smaller scales in many other areas and they are hugely successful.

Coffs Harbour has what many of these other areas don’t and that’s a great all year round climate and the room to offer something much bigger better over time.
It can grow with funding and private enterprise but has to start somewhere first. When setting up such a venture the operators need to be careful not to just acquire as much as they can get but rather a good selection of usable stock instead. A few engines for display and a couple of working useful engines is a good start.

Don’t fill the area up with useless unproductive rail stock that will never be used or restored. Only take in what can be handled and made good use of straight away. Space is valuable and space costs money. But all means add to collections on a regular basis but keep it useful and appealing.  Don't take in stock that's going to be too expensive to restore. Coffs Harbour has every right to build a Jetty Town with the trains, trams or whatever as its part of their past history.

Businesses will be the biggest winner in all of this. Because it will bring thousands of more people to the area year after year. Keeping entry to the main areas free is important so it offers a user pay system back to private operators within all those areas. Vendors, operators and stores will provide more employment as well. Some can be volunteer operated and many other opportunities will come from all of that over time. Making use of Coffs Harbour's natural and existing features is what should be worked upon.

A horse drawn tram along the foreshore and piers and rock walls where possible. The 4 day market. The relocation of the boat ramp. The tourism growth options are massive.