KW

From: Ray Norman <raynorman7250@gmail.com>
Date: Thursday, 19 February 2026 at 8:25 pm
To: The Examiner <editor@examiner.com.au>
Subject: LETTER TO THE EDITOR

Interestingly it seems that yet again, the Tasmanian mindset that privileges colonial cum settler sensibilities is deeply rooted.

In this instance the place imagined as Kings Wharf is assumed to have no stories that predate 1800 that are worth telling or acknowledging. Not so!

This tract of land on Lutruwita/Tasmania was arguably the most fecund tract of land in the Lutruwita cultural landscape. Aboriginal sovereignty has never been ceded despite politicians' and settler developers’ inclination to assume otherwise.

Apparently, there is a default cultural arrogance that informs Tasmanian development mindsets. The lack of currency for Palawa cum Pukana cultural sensitivities and sensibilities is in evidence here again and it is diminishing.

There is every reason to think that Aboriginal cultural placemaking and placescaping would deliver the kind of ‘placedness’ that would enrich an inclusive and expansive Launcestonian cum Taswegian cultural reality.

The very notion that there is an ‘authority’ out there in the political ether that will automatically sanction cultural forgetfulness should tell 'Tasmanians' something about themselves that needs to be addressed.

"The time is always right to do what is right.” Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Ray Norman, Launceston

…………………….

END

Ray Norman

STURTalumni, Polemicist, Cultural Producer, Cultural Geographer, Researcher

The lifestyle design enterprise and research network

PH: 0488 011 376

eMAIL: raynorman7250@gmail.com

Delamere Cres Trevallyn TAS 7250

WEBsites: http://www.raynorman7250.blogspot.com

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I​ acknowledge the First Peoples – the Traditional Owners of the lands where we live and work, and recognise their continuing connection to land, water and community. I pay respect to Elders – past, present and emerging – and acknowledge the important role Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people continue to play within the research zingHOUSEunlimited undertakes

How dilapidated Kings Wharf could evolve into ‘vibrant precinct'

By Hamish Geale February 19 2026 - 5:00am

A blueprint has been laid out to transform one of the Tamar River's most aged stretches of waterfront.

Once a bustling city port, Kings Wharf has been a shadow of its former self since a fire ran through it in 1979.

Launceston's Kings Wharf is edging ever closer to a revamp. Pictures by Paul Scambler, Gary Ramage, Eve Woodhouse

A trail of decaying timber hugs the waterfront for 400 metres between Lindsay and Gleadow streets, useful only to the flocks of seagulls that have claimed it as their home.

But the wheels are in motion to see the wharf thriving once again.

As local developer Errol Stewart pushes ahead with redevelopment plans alongside the levee, the wheels are in motion to fix the waterfront itself.

The newly-released $200,000-plus Tamar River masterplan outlines a vision for Kings Wharf to become a "vibrant precinct" that combines culture, recreation, and commercial uses.

The reimagined space would introduce new spaces for dining and events, and would be joined to the West Tamar walking track by a new pedestrian bridge crossing the river.

Derelict vessels sit along Kings Wharf in the Tamar River. Video by Craig George

"[Authorities could] consider rezoning the precinct to support uses such as food and beverage outlets, maker spaces, and event areas," the report reads.

"Any redevelopment should be designed with resilience in mind, accommodating periodic inundation and future flood risks by incorporating temporary or adaptable structures (such as food vans)."

The plans for Kings Wharf received a warm reception during the community consultation period.

"I am particularly excited for the potential for redevelopment of the Kings Wharf area and the existing buildings for restaurant/ micro brewery/ retail etc and facing on to the river - exciting," one respondent said.

An artist's sketch of the upgraded Kings Wharf waterfront.

WHAT SHALL WE DO WITH OUR SUNKEN TIMBER?

The masterplan leans on a consultant's report assessing the best course of action for derelict infrastructure around the river's edge.

The obstruction summary report, prepared by Rare, found that the rotting timber structures at Kings Wharf should remain in situ, but be cut back to below the waterline.

"We do not recommend the complete removal to full depth of any of the identified structural timber obstructions, as such action may unnecessarily disturb buried materials," the report read.

Kings Wharf. Picture by Phillip Biggs

"Instead, if a decision is made to address the visible remnants, we suggest a 'tidy-up' method that implements cutting and removing the structure to a level just below the surface using a minimally invasive methodology.

"However, this approach may pose a future risk to waterborne users of the area due to the lack of visible indications of the former structure."

The remaining timber was found to be well beyond saving.

"We do not recommend or advise that any of the existing structural timber obstructions would be suitable for re-use as structural elements for new infrastructure," the report read.

"They may be suitable to act as retaining elements for landscaping treatments.

"Should new structure be proposed in this area we advise that the existing elements can be locally removed to facilitate new structure. We advise that local treatment and 'tidy-up' may be reasonably achieved without posing major structural engineering concerns."

Developer Errol Stewart and Launceston mayor Matthew Garwood inspect the undeveloped land at Kings Wharf. Picture by Phillip Biggs

LONG TIME COMING

The plans come as Mr Stewart pursues plans for a $35 million convention centre on the eastern side of the Kings Wharf levee bank.

Speaking to The Examiner in 2025, Mr Stewart estimated an overhaul of the neighbouring, crown-owned waterfront strip would cost about $4 million.

"Clearly if we were to do a convention centre and everybody starts coming to the place, that needs to be done," he said.

"On the river's edge all I think you would do is put a couple of gazebos and potentially some amenities.

"So then people that are walking or dining along the river walk, there's a place they can go to the bathroom and there's a place they can get undercover."