Better access to boating ramps is just around the corner at several Victorian waterways with grants awarded to make the area easier to access, thanks to the State Government.
Minister for Outdoor Recreation Steve Dimopoulos recently announced $700,000 in Recreational Boating Access and Dredging grants through the Labor Government’s Better Boating Fund.
The fund is created by investing recreational boating licence and registration fees, which are paid by all Victorian boaters.
At Mallacoota, East Gippsland Shire Council will use a grant of $150,000 to dredge at the Bastion Point boat ramp.
The council will remove sediment accumulating at the ramp, having previously received a Recreational Boating Grant to undertake maintenance on the rock groyne that provides protection from wind and waves.
The grants will be delivered through the Victorian Fisheries Authority’s (VFA) Better Boating division – which is currently undergoing the state’s biggest ever boat ramp construction program.
As part of this program, the VFA is working to ensure launching your boat and parking is free at all of Victoria’s public ramps.
A total of seven projects are sharing in the $700,000 funding, which is available to ramp and waterway managers to do dredging work or plan for future work to make their ramps easy to access.
Since 2021, the Better Boating Fund has seen $102.5 million of recreational boaters’ licence and registration fees reinvested into projects and programs to make boating easier, cheaper, safer and more accessible for all Victorians.
