The only saviour would be if the Iron Ore boom crashes, because it is the iron ore and only the iron ore that is driving oakagee's proposed port.

It's a huge shame, there's no way it will be stopped now. BHP predicts China's need for steel and Iron ore will continue for the next 20 years. Therefore this will go ahead. Parts of the Gero community have been fighting this for about 10 years, the best they can hope for is an artificial reef as compensation.... so if ya wanna surf, windsurf or kitesurf on an artificial reef which compensates for Oakajee, then download the petition, get as many people to sign it as possible and send it off!!!!!!!!!!

Gero is a Magic place, needs to be compensated for this major loss

Stuff Bloody China!!!!! I wanted to go to Geralton in the future.Compensation for this destruction is not good enough. Every Ocean lover in this country should sign that petition. But I can see that money speaks louder than any words and signatures ever can. Come on all you surfers and windsurfers and kitesurfers out there, make yourselves heard on this...

Elmo what a load of ****......Gero is fine with out more work AND more infrastructure... were all on good coin... and everyone here has enough on at the moment.... PLUSS WE have a life style....

STUFF what u percieve to be progress,,,,,far enough you got an opinion,,, good.

The major of benifits will go overseas.Just like Port Headland if we dont start making demands.

Anyway If it happens and when it happens we should have inplace AS MUCH SUPPORT AS POSSIBLE.....TO WIN SOME OF THE $$$$$$$$$ TO BUILD SOMETHING.....TO REPLACE THE SPOT.

Like I said not a popular POV, just mine.

But heres some points to consider.

When the first settlers arrived at Geraldton, Bunbury (anywhere) there were no existing facilities, there was no ports, no roads, no shops etc these all came from the pursuit of making profits.

Towns like Dampier, Karratha, Port Hedland didn't realy exist until someone went there to make a profit. Everything has to be paid for somehow.

Yes some of the profits will go overseas, but in reality unless you own some major shares in Rio or BHP you never see any of these anyway, how we benefit is from the royalties this type of industry generates for the Australia which if I heard rightly WA accounts for 30+% of GNI (may be wildly inaccurate there).

I totally agree with KOP's statement that Australia should try to make more stuff locally but it's extremely hard when people want to be paid more than $5 per hour. I say this as the company which I work for is a local manufacturer who supplies local industry, we are also of of the extreme rarities in Australia which actually exports products to Asia rather than the other way round.

I don't really feel much sympathy for the seagulls grizzling about the development as they only go up for a week a year (if that) camp on the beach (so as not to have to pay a caravan park), take up their own food (so as not to have to pay the higher local prices) and then complain about how rough the road is or why haven't they bitumised the road into "whatever" surf break.

The people which I do feel sorry for are the local crew such as KOP, this is they're home, this is they're back yard and play ground.

A Seagull is a term used to describe a person who goes into and area flaps their wings, squakes a lot, craps all over the place and then bogg's of home with out any real benefit to the area.

I also agree with the Idea of preserving our natural heratige but to put the point to Sambo, you sail (possibly live in Miami) how did that get there or was it already in place?

I also disagree with Australia's "dig it up ship it out" mentality sooner or later we are just going to end up as one dirty great big hole in the ground.

My point is (was originally) that if you want to do something about it then do it.


Mr King

Yes I do dribble a fair amount of ****e

All the best fight the good fight

I have just gotten back from two weeks in China, and I didn't see the sun the entire time and that wasn't because it was overcast!!

A very scary place as far as the environment goes and Australia is very instrumental in assisting this level of "progressive development".

Such a trip makes you truly appreciate the size of our population, lack of pollution and so called "environmental policies" that we have.

Good luck Gero do what ever you can to save it!

Originally posted by elmo

A Seagull is a term used to describe a person who goes into and area flaps their wings, squakes a lot, craps all over the place and then bogg's of home with out any real benefit to the area.

Ah yes, I understand now... There are quite a few of those everywhere. I know what you mean. Plenty here on the Goldie and they do leave their rubbish all over the place.

Back on topic.. What is so strategic about Geralton? There is a Yankee army base around the area too? Could be more than meets the eye in this.

Well shi thouse , that does sound scary regarding polution in China.
It is nice to be back home isn't it? Gero is going to need more than luck though..

Progress has caught up with sleepy old Gero, with all the rabid development the infrastructure is very strained. The developers worry me more than a port at Oakagee, nothing is sacred in the pursuit of more money, they now have a mariner development planned for Glenfields beach and the shame is with the influx of people coming to town they are probably going to need it somewhere, council mentality is developement at any cost.

As much as people may not agree with Elmo, he is close to the mark.