Others who have lived in Glenorchy much longer than I might recall swimming off a jetty at the Grove Reserve.

Recent plans to develop the DEC precinct and enhance the Montrose Bay Reserve could change the face of Elwick Bay dramatically – at least on land.

The government has for many years advised us not to eat any fish caught in the bay (pollution). It has also advised us not to swim in it – particularly after rain (stormwater).

The zinc smelter at Lutana and the paper mill at Boyer discharged heavy metal contamination into the Derwent estuary for many years. Even though both have dramatically reduced their emissions, and Council has installed many litter traps on stormwater outlets, it may never be safe to swim in Elwick Bay again.

But that should not mean that the river can play no part in any development plans apart from being a scenic backdrop and something to travel on.

Despite the presence of the Derwent, no water-based features appear in the Kestelman proposal for Wilkinsons Point. And a suggestion of something in or beside the river, or any water-based feature in the new “playspace” at Montrose Bay drew a very negative reaction at the public consultation morning at Montrose Bay.

In fact, the jetty and pontoon at Montrose Bay actively discourage public access to the water – a “keep off” sign on the jetty and an equally ineffectual locked gate on the pontoon.

It’s no trivial matter using the river. As GASP CEO Frances Butler wrote on April 27:

“The bay is a very different matter and is not Council’s jurisdiction. Any installation in the water or encroachment into or over it (for instance the cantilever of the Wilkinsons Pt Pavilion) requires a Crown Lease. This means doing anything water-based is quite complex and requires very careful management – it’s a sensitive environment that we don’t wish to damage. We also need to take into account the effect of wash from the MONA ferry and future sea level changes and local area inundation due to climate change. That said, I am very keen for some water-based projects, funding and Crown permission permitting.”

It’s a tragedy that people going to Montrose Bay on a hot summer’s day cannot use water, either in the river or out, to cool down.

Tourists who travel along the river between MONA and Hobart will marvel at the landscape but would be aghast to learn that it is not healthy to go into it. Its beauty is only skin deep.

POSTSCRIPT: The first draft plan for the Montrose Bay Playspace (public comment closed June 2020) did include a tiny water feature called Water Play that features “interactive pumps, runnels and sluice gates in a creek-like setting.” It seems very small and designed for children to paddle, utterly useless for adults.