Belmore Basin vs Bellambi

There are fears that Belmore Basin could become a charmless millionare’s row for expensive boats and yachts if redevelopment plans for the site go ahead.

Ron Tindall is a Corrimal resident and retired journalist who wants to lobby the government to cancel plans for Wollongong’s foreshore.

Instead, Mr Tindall has touted Bellambi as a preferred location for any major maritime developments.

He outlined his goal to create a Bellambi Bay Harbour Marina Task Force in a statement last week.

The NSW Department of Lands is currently considering expressions of interest from developers interested in redeveloping Wollongong Harbour and foreshore, but Mr Tindall said the ‘magical’ Belmore Basin area should be left alone to retain its current beauty.

Mr Tindall believes the Task Force could make the government see Bellambi as an ideal marina location.

“It will take the community to say, yes, we would rather have Bellambi Bay developed as a major marina than have Wollongong destroyed,” he said.

Owner of Aurora Fishing Charters Paul Reeves said he and other business owners who operate from Wollongong Harbour agree that it should remain as is.

He said the harbour needs to remain commercial and not be overrun by ‘millionaires’.

“It’s not the tone of the harbour - it’s traditionally always been a working harbour,” he said.

Mr Tindall said creating a marina in Bellambi would establish the Bellambi coastline as Wollongong’s new North Shore and encourage trade in the Corrimal commercial precinct.

Another positive for Bellambi is the ease of access to the area by road as opposed to the ‘maze’ of streets leading to Wollongong Harbour, Mr Tindall said.

The NSW Department of Lands has said there may be a opportunity to build a marina at Wollongong Harbour, but also said moorings in the harbour could be increased and rearranged.

“Moorings in Belmore Basin could be rationalised and re-arranged to reflect the changing needs of the fishing fleet to provide space for a mix of vessels,” a Department of Lands report states.