A NEW boat ramp will be built at Lake Eildon’s Howqua Inlet with the state government confirming the project has secured a grant under the Better Boating Fund.
There is currently no public boat ramp providing access to the lake between existing ramp locations at Goughs Bay and Jamieson.
Residents and community groups began advocating for a ramp in 2015, submitting a petition to the Mansfield Shire Council and Goulburn-Murray Water (GMW) with approximately 500 signatures.
The “Howqua East” location was then selected following extensive community engagement in 2022 and 2023 to find the best location for a new ramp and to identify any potential concerns from community members needing to be addressed in the final design.
Following detailed design work commissioned by Better Boating Victoria, the finished project will feature a concrete ramp and asphalt parking area.
In addition to construction at Howqua Inlet, the Better Boating Fund will also support major facility upgrades at Werribee South, Geelong’s Limeburners Point, Schnapper Point at Mornington, Tooradin and Port Welshpool as part of a $36.3 million investment.
"This is great for local communities and will benefit local economies, by reeling in more visitors to the regions,” said Minister for Outdoor Recreation Steve Dimopoulos.
"Having user-friendly facilities, better access through dredging and convenient locations to launch helps to create an even better boating experience.”
The Fund is allocated via annual action plans, with the most recent including a range of initiatives to get more women into recreational boating, improve boating safety through better aids to navigation, support waterway management and deliver boating education clinics.
The Better Boating Fund reinvests recreational boating licence and registration fees back into boating projects and programs.
