Lucky Bay, South Australia

Residential and recreational use

A modest strip of coastal homes or 'shacks' extends along the coast to the north-east of the ferry terminal. Several of these are available to rent. Beach-launching boat access exists for residents and holiday-makers. The adjacent waters are popular among fishermen, with snapper being one of the region's prized catches.

Ferry service

The development of a ferry terminal at Lucky Bay was approved by South Australian planning minister Paul Holloway in November 2005. The ferry service commenced in December 2006 and has been an economic boon to the nearby township of Cowell.

The passenger ferry is operated by SeaSA Ltd and transports vehicles and passengers across Spencer Gulf between Lucky Bay and Wallaroo. The ferry service received an Australian Marine Environment Protection Association (AUSMEPA) award in 2006 "for its potential to save more than 25,000 tonnes of carbon emissions annually from road traffic by providing a cross-Gulf alternative to the lengthy round-Gulf car trip."

Service was suspended in September 2014 to allow the expansion of the harbor's basin and substantial vegetation clearance and earthworks to commence. The expanded harbor is intended to facilitate the future transshipment of iron ore to a floating loading platform in Spencer Gulf. The ferry service resumed in October 2016.

Harbor expansion (2011-2016)

Between 2011 and 2016 plans to expand the Lucky Bay passenger ferry terminal to facilitate new transshipment facilities were proposed and approved. The first of these was a proposal to accommodate shipments of iron ore, followed by a plan to export wheat in 2016. The Australian Government contributed $2.2 million to the project via the Regional Development Australia's Regional Development Fund.

Iron ore transshipment

In April 2011 a proposal to export iron ore from Lucky Bay received Crown-sponsored development status from the Government of South Australia, under Section 49 of the state's Development Act 1993. As a result, development proposal documentation was withdrawn from the general public after a three-week open period calling for submissions.

One of the responsible parties, Ironclad Mining had previously sought government approval to haul ore from Wilcherry Hill via road to a rail siding at Lincoln Gap near Whyalla. From there it was to be transported to Port Adelaide by rail, then loaded onto ships using existing infrastructure there. This export corridor was approved by the Federal government on 23 September 2011, under the Environment Protection Biodiversity Conservation (EPBC) Act. A week later, Ironclad Mining lodged a formal Development Application to expand the existing existing ferry terminal at Lucky Bay and export iron ore from there.

On 5 April 2012, the Lucky Bay proposal was approved by Robert Kleeman, acting as a delegate for the South Australian Minister for Planning. The project's proponents continued to refine the design of the facility, and lodged several amendments to the proposal the following year, including plans to add a buffer storage facility (iron ore stockpiles) and relocate transshipping points closer to shore.

On 3 December 2013, the revised proposal which included multiple cost-saving variations received State Government development approval. The project involves the following entities: SeaSA, Masterplan, Ironclad Mining Ltd and the District Council of Franklin Harbour. While the project claims to offer a Common User Export Facility, there is currently only one future user of the port, Ironclad Mining Ltd.

Ironclad Mining claims that delays associated with project amendments and approvals cost the company approximately $6 million.

The proposed export plan includes:

Wheat transshipment

In early 2016, a proposal to construct facilities to support the transshipment of wheat was considered and approved by the Development Assessment Commission. In July 2016, the port's owners, Spencer Gulf Trust, announced that it expected the new facilities to be operable for the 2017 harvest.

Environment

The region is adjacent to the Franklin Harbour wetlands, and two tidal creeks bracket the shack settlement. The sand flats, dunes and beaches are home to or visited by many threatened species, including various migratory waders, the banded stilt, hooded plover and white-bellied sea eagle. The white-bellied sea eagle is listed as endangered in South Australia, under the state's National Parks and Wildlife Act 1972. The banded stilt and hooded plover are both listed as vulnerable under the act.

In 2011, the Eyre Peninsula Coastal Action Plan recommended that coastal flora and fauna surveys be conducted from Lucky Bay eastward to Shoalwater Point in order 'to inform future management directions'. This recommendation was in response to 'very inadequate data on biodiversity and habitat values'. It was flagged as a 'high priority' action to undertake.

Franklin Harbor Marine Park

Lucky Bay lies within the State-managed Franklin Harbor Marine Park. The park was established in 2009 to protect habitat for the weedy seadragon which is also fully protected under the State's Fisheries Management Act. It is also home to blue swimmer crabs, prawns, King George whiting, sardines and several other commercially important scalefish species. Fishing is permitted within the Franklin Harbor Marine Park's outer boundary, but is prohibited within several Sanctuary Zones.

Environmental threats

Development is considered one of several threats to this area, including "a proposed major development that is likely to impact on coastal landforms, habitats and vegetation, as well as increase the visitation, threats and pressure on the coastal areas within the cell if it goes ahead". Environmentalists are concerned that the sound and dust pollution from proposed iron ore exports could disturb birds' established feeding behaviours and roosts.