Our jetties are worth saving
Jetties are an asset to South Australia’s coastline. But many jetties have needed to close or are at risk of closure due to their age and damage from storms.
Without investment for repairs, some jetties could stay closed forever.
This is the reality facing many jetties across South Australia. Repairs don't come cheap—or easy, for that matter.
We know jetties are valuable. A recent LGA survey of than 2,400 South Australians has helped us put a dollar and cents figure on their worth.
What our Value of Jetties report found is South Australians are set to lose $103 million every year if our jetties disappear.
Download the Value of Jetties report
Our jetties matter – and need your support
There are about 75 jetties across the state and many have been part of our towns since the days before the light bulb.
Write to your local MP
Let your local member of parliament know how much jetties mean to you.
Make your voice count:
- search your address on the map
- find your MP
- email them using our template.
Help improve the long-term future of jetties in South Australia.
Value of jetties
Our jetties bring people and money to our coasts.
Thanks to our Value of Jetties report, we know exactly how much that is.
Visitors to our jetties put $103 million back into our economy. They support 800 full time jobs and are spending between $26 and $50 every time they go to a jetty.
Our jetties are part of our lives, and we use them regularly. The LGA’s Value of Jetties report revealed the vast majority of South Australians:
- visited a jetty last year – and made many return trips (44 times on average!)
- love how jetties make our towns a better place to live
- think jetties are vital to keeping people active and outdoors
- believe jetties are important local landmarks and meeting spots
- say jetties are a big reason tourists visit coastal towns.
It would be a huge cost to all of us if our jetties were to disappear.
Let’s take a closer at what South Australians told us:
I really love nature so I’ll often go for walks down to the jetty to watch the seagulls and other birds. I usually stop and grab an iced coffee at the café on the way home.
Total cost = $22
On the weekends I like heading down to the jetty and reading books, if it’s not too windy. Sometimes I’ll head down to the foreshore with some friends and grab a couple of drinks at the local pub or one of the nearby bars at night.
Total = $64
We love taking the kids down the coast during the holidays. We stayed in a beautiful beachfront cottage and mostly cooked there so we had to buy food and supplies. I also bought some new bathers and picked up a few nice things at one of those arts and craft shops.
Total = $967
These dollars add up. And they all go back into local pubs, cafés, galleries, and shops – as well as surf clubs, hotels and tourist activities that all base themselves around the hub of the jetty.
What needs to happen to protect our jetties
Jetties are part of our history. They gave people a reason and a way to visit our coastal towns—and they still do today.
They were first docks for small boats and sea-faring travellers. They made it possible to move animals, crops, mail and food by sea.
Now, they’re a place for friends and families. A favourite spot to take your dog for a walk. The backdrop of a photo album of a smiling holidayer from a far-away place.
Jetties are part of our lives, and we use them regularly.
But many are in drastic need of repair. And that costs money.
How jetties are funded
Almost half of the state’s 75 jetties are leased to local councils. But many are over 100 years old and require significant capital investment to ensure they are safe.
Councils currently spend over $2 million each year to maintain our jetties.
That figure is a drop in the ocean compared to what’s needed to secure the future of our jetties. Four out of five South Australians believe jetties should be funded by the State Government.
The State Government has committed $20 million to help repair all jetties – that’s about $10 million for council-leased jetties. But to access that money, councils are being asked to bear future costs, long after that funding is exhausted.
For many small towns, this is not an option and the financial exposure to councils and their communities is too great. A better long-term answer is needed.
A long-term solution
We must protect and restore our jetties, so they’re not lost for good.
We ask the State Government to work together with us to devise a lasting, sustainable plan for our jetties. One that makes sense for our councils, our coastal towns and all South Australians.