BERRI might be hundreds of kilometres from the nearest beach but soon locals will be snacking on fish and chips by the water, thanks to a riverside rejuvenation plan.
Berri Barmera Council chief executive officer David Beaton says a number of initiatives are underway to breathe fresh life into the riverfront, ranging from small-scale decisions such as the introduction of a mobile fish-and-chip van right up to big projects such as a multi-million dollar boat ramp.
With the mighty River Murray central to all aspects of Berri life, Mr Beaton says the council is always looking for ways to make the riverside experience better.
"For Berri and other towns here, our lifestyle, especially over summer, spring and autumn, is based around the river and enjoying the river," he said.
"You can have water sports, and just the absolute beauty of being on or near the river at dawn and dusk – nature at its very best.
"By upgrading facilities to support people who want to use the river, we want to find the right combination of amenity and access."
Works on the Berri Boat Ramp have started, with a new four-lane ramp to replace the existing two-lane ramp, and a de-rigging area and associated car park at the Berri Marina.
A similar upgrade at Moorook, also in the Riverland, saw ski boat usage almost double in the space of a year.
Mr Beaton says the $640,000 upgrade, jointly funded by the state government's Recreational Boating Facilities Fund and Berri Barmera Council, is strategically located in a sheltered bend of the river where local schools do their rowing.
"They are currently pouring the ramp and closing it off from the river; they will dredge the area and it should be ready to go in month or so," he said.
The work will complement a recently-completed walking path adorned with street furniture, which links the town centre to the boat ramp in a four-kilometre loop.
The ramp and pathway will also service a multi-million dollar housing development along the riverfront.
In July, the state government agreed to sell the piece of Crown land on the Berri riverfront to the Berri Barmera Council for $1.86 million, with the area to be subdivided into about 30 residential sites.
The riverfront land is flexibly zoned to allow for developments.
Allotments will be about 10 metres in width and 50m deep.
The funds raised from selling the land will go towards a relocation of the Berri Bowling Club, which now sits on the riverfront site, over to Glassey Park. The new club will have upgraded, state-of-the-art clubrooms and new synthetic rinks.
In addition to the funds secured from selling the original site, the state government will provide $687,000 towards the relocation.
The August Council Meeting of Berri Barmera Council saw the approval of a mobile fish-and-chip van along the riverfront, but according to Mr Beaton that was not the only decision of relevance to the riverbank rejig.
He said the Hayden Stoeckel Swimming Pool upgrade, also approved at the same meeting, will let people learn what they needed to know when out on the water.
* Full report in Stock Journal, September 25, 2014 issue.
