The Jetty Project

It was a lovely spring day today - but chilly in the evening. We got to Brighton just after the sun set and stopped for an icecream before walking down to the jetty. It was popular, with lots of people fishing and crabbing. But we rushed to the end of the jetty and back as it was so cold.

On the way back from Meningie we stopped at Meningie for a drink and to stretch our legs. I wasn't necessarily expecting a jetty, but there wa one. At least the remains of one - from the late 19th century is was several hundred metres long, as the water is so shallow and it tended to silt up. At that time Meningie was a stop for the Murray river paddle steamers, bringing wool down the river. It was also a point to cross the lake to Meningie, until road traffic picked up. It is a pleasant curving structure adjacent to a park and still carries the remains of an old crane. When we visited there was a family fishing at the end, and other people fishing on the short structures on either side of the boat ramp. There are also a number of private jetties along the same stretch. It was windy, but I suspect it is always windy there.

We are just back from a quick weekend away in Meningie, staying in the Lake Albert Motel. On the afternoon we arrived we cycled along the foreshore and stopped at all three of these jetties. It was a pleasant day, around 20 degrees though with a stiff breeze. The main town jetty is adjacent to the large park in the middle of town. It's fairly unassuming and was unused at the time of our visit. But the area is busy with birdlife, and there are always plenty of pelicans around. There is a longer jetty at the sailing club. This is only 100m north of the town jetty. It looks like it is being progressively repaired, as there were new sleepers along the first third of the structure. The end was fenced off; it wasn't immediately clear why, as that section doesn't look much worse that the stretch before it. Taking these pictures I was thinking about the nature of pictures of jetties. They are a geometric shape in the landscape and every picture is really a la...

The Normanville jetty was the last stop of our day along the Fleurieu. Being a public holiday, the grassy area around te kiosk was packed with people picnicking and relaxing, and there were families on the beach. It was the nicest location we visited today. The jetty itself starts on the sand rather than from a path, and it is truncated. After damage in the late 40s and early 50s it was shortened, and now seems cosmetic rather than functional as it barely reaches the water.

Not a true jetty, but during our day in the Fleurieu, on the October long weekend, we walked around the breakwater at the Marina St Vincent. The area around the marina is slightly derelict - large gravel areas with shuttered buildings and scattered shipping containers but the marina itself was very peaceful. At the end of the very large breakwater we found the bollards and ramp from the previous ferryto Kangaroo Island. The southern side of the breakwater curves around and the northern arm and so provides a lot of protection from the elements.

Second Valley is very popular, but I am not sure it is the prettiest spot; the beach is narrow and rocky and the jetty is short. This didn't stop a lot of family groups crowding onto it to fish and walk about.

The old BHP jetty was particularly long - 490m with a 200m T end. It was closed in 2004 after storm damage and is slowly decaying. There is something quite beautiful about this. The new jetty was opened in 2009. It is comparatively modest but still a respectable 240m. It is also the first jetty we've walked with concrete sleepers. It was extremely popular, the busiest jetty we have been on, and we had to pick our way between fishing rods. This may have been in part that it was a spring day, a public holiday and the start of the school holidays. People were catching squid and crabs, as well as fish.

Cape Jervis is windswept and has a rather barren quality, but it was a pleasant day today - overcast but the sea was calm and it was not too windy, even on the jetty. There were a few people fishing and the Sealink Ferry was in. It is a short jetty and extends only a short way past the ferry terminal, curving to the southwest.