After years of campaigning for a permanent solution for dredging Swansea Channel, a new purpose-built dredger – a Beaver 30, from Royal IHC – has arrived on Lake Macquarie and is preparing to get to work.
The Turkulliko is undergoing its final water trials ahead of its first major mission: removing around 83,000 cubic meters of sand from two of the channel’s most persistent problem areas. According to NSW Government, it marks a major milestone in the delivery of a long-term strategy to maintain safe and reliable access to Lake Macquarie.
The critical fix is the result of a $10 million investment by the Federal Government through its Priority Community Infrastructure Program, which also includes upgrades to the Blacksmiths boat ramp.
The purpose-built dredger has the ability to remove more than 1,000 cubic meters of sand a day, with material pumped by pipeline to Nine Mile Beach, south of Belmont Golf Club.
Its first major campaign will focus on the Dog Leg and Drop Over, establishing a navigational channel approximately 60 metres wide and three metres deep.
The dredge has been given the Awabakal name Turkulliko, meaning “to drag along” or “to draw”.
Commissioning will be completed by the end of August, with dredging planned to begin afterwards in September.