Courtesy of TROVE Northern Star, Saturday 1 March 1947

SAGAS OF THE EARLY DAYS by WINDSOR LANG.

The Changing Of The Years

BALLINA’S EARLY FORESHORES HAVE BEEN CHANGED BY MAN AND NATURE

THIS WEEK Mr. Lang continues his story of the battle against the seas and shifting sands to put down breakwaters which would give depth to the treacherous river mouth and reduce the fatalities in the bar crossings. Besides loose sand, hard beds had to be broken up before work could be started.

WHEN the tide was on the ebb, and at such times as the sea was reasonably smooth, a tug-boat would take a diver out over the bar. A boring plant accompanied him. Holes were bored into the sand. The diver would then descend and charge them with explosives. After the diver had returned to the tug, she was taken some little way from the spot, and the charges would be exploded by a battery on the tug. Of course some of the sand would be stirred up and this would drift out to sea.

The tug “Nercus” was at times employed on this work of “blasting.” This method did not yield satisfactory results. The hardened sand proved to be too stubborn to permit of a very great area of sand disintegration, and the relief afforded was very temporary. The incoming tides would bring in a supply of drifting sand. This would speedily fill up any holes made by the explosion, and the new sand, before long, would be come as indurated as that dis placed.

The “Rhea,” another of the tugs engaged in towing stone from Riley’s Hill quarry, at times was engaged in towing a large iron rake over the bar to stir up the sand to be carried out to sea on the ebbing tide. A larger area was covered in this way, but the method was not very effective.

In 1891-92, the ladder dredge “Alcides” operated opposite Ballina removing “hard deposit” – presumably indurated sand. This deposit necessitated blasting.

The “Alcides” and “Zeta” – the latter a grab dredge – lifted indurated land over a period of years commencing 1898. After dynamiting, the sand was lifted into punts and dumped behind Ballina sand-spits, later at Oyster Point, and on the south side of the middle training wall. Eventually, after 1901, such dredgers as the “Dictys” and the “Tethys,” equipped with revolving blades, were able to attack the indurated sand with effect. Being suction dredgers these dredges were able to have the disintegrated sand sucked into the ship’s hold. When fully-laden the dredge would take the sand out to sea and discharge it. The dredging services of these boats were utilised in developing the new and straighter channel that had been cut by the “Archimedes” in 1884, and in keeping it clear. The “Dictys” is still engaged in this latter service.

INCIDENTALLY, on many occasions, instead of taking the impounded sand out to sea for dis charge, the dredges pumped it through a length of pipes, over the more swampy portions of town land, thus effecting beneficial reclamation work.

A large area of land between River Street and Tamar Street, to the west of Martin Street was thus reclaimed. Extensive work was also done on the Golf Links area. Much low-lying land still remains between the Golf Links and the northern training wall leading to Missingham Bridge. Sand-pumping from the dredge to this spot would provide ample building sites for many more homes. Low-lying land at the western end of the town would likewise benefit from such filling in. I have been able to secure most of this information of dredge services on the Richmond, from Harbours and Rivers Branch of Department of Public Works.

The father of Mr. John Arthursen of Oakland, was mate and coxswain of the “Dictys,” and served in a similar capacity with the other dredges engaged in the work of cutting the indurated sand with revolving blades. He spent several years in the dredge service at Ballina. Prior to his coming to the river he had been similarly employed at Port Stephens.

By the early 90’s construction work on the breakwater got into its full stride, and until the early years of this century practically all industrial and commercial activity at Ballina centered round the project. The stone-quarrying center at Riley’s Hill, an important adjunct to the work in progress at the river entrance, developed into an active and up-to-date community, well catered for in amenities that become linked with a thriving town.

The busy tug-boat service between Riley’s Hill and Ballina, the labouring locomotives, the army of workmen, and the jaunty, polished steam-launch “Unarra” attached to the Harbours and Rivers Branch and utilised by Mr. Thomas Keele on his official visits, all contributed towards the air of well-being and purposeful activity. This was further reflected in the general bene fits bestowed upon the whole district, but more especially upon the area adjacent to the lower reaches of the river.

During the opening years of this century construction work on the breakwaters ceased, and eventually what had been a locomotive track along the North Wall became an esplanade for pleasure walks for visitors and campers at East Ballina. The new entrance and a straighter, regularly-dredged and more reliable channel had become definitely established features.

Incoming sand linked the North Spit with North Wall and during the passage of years, the sea with its moving sands has provided an extensive area of sand-flat between Light House Hill and the northern breakwater. The encroaching sand has caused Shaw’s Bay to shrink into a placid lagoon made picturesque by the fringing tree growth. A generous coating of wiry creeping grass extends over practically the whole sand area, and a flourishing growth of trees – honey-suckle and ti-tree – has contributed towards the permanent reclamation of a roomy area of land well above sea-level. Unfortunately, existing sand-spits in Shaw’s Bay are extending their area, and the lagoon continues to shrink.

IF NOT ARRESTED, these moving sands, at a date not very far distant, will replace the lagoon entirely. The swimming pool beside the breakwater at East Ballina, and the picturesque lagoon will have become memories, and the work of natural reclamation will have been completed.

North Creek has become shoaled for some distance from its mouth, and an extensive sand-pit in the waters just beyond Missingham Bridge is in process of linking up with the sand spit east of the town baths.

Mobbs’ Bay has long ceased to figure in the ocean-borne shipping trade of the river. Pleasure-bent picnic parties to South Beach, folk for South Wall fishing, and William Poster’s motor launches still traverse its waters. Certain pleasure-launches use it -as an anchorage, whilst it has become the “breaking-up” depot for many out-of-service river craft.

Despite a long-continued agitation nothing further was done towards the development of a deep-sea port at Ballina. The late Mr. Thomas Russell and a band of his contemporaries worked hard towards that end. They envisaged a scheme where by Mobbs’ Bay would be fully utilised in such port development.

Mr. Thomas Russell had dreamed of a branch railway line between Booyong and Ballina. This was to act as a feeder from the hinterland of the district and a definite accessory to the shipping service. Its construction was delayed through the years that witnessed district roadways being more fully conditioned for the increasing inter-town traffic, and the adjacent areas becoming more advanced in development. Eventually, this branch railway line was opened in 1930 – seven years after the death of Mr. Russell. This branch line fell far short of the place designed for it in the scheme envisaged by its advocates. They had counted on its continuing on as far as the wharves at the river-side – thus serving as a valuable adjunct to the ocean-borne shipping trade. The agitation for the extension of this line to the wharf-sides, and for the adequate development of Ballina as a deep-sea port was revived by Mr. P. E. Tighe after he came to the town in 1910

For the 36 years following he had been foremost in advancing facts and figures in support of his advocacy of the port development scheme. At last his untiring efforts are beginning to bear fruit. Plans are in course of preparation providing for the expenditure of certain monies on the improvement of the river entrance. One can but hope that such plans will, at least, closely approximate the scheme constantly urged by Mr. P. E. Tighe and his enthusiastic predecessors.

(To be continued)

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