As we approach the end of another Summer at Lake Eildon and reflecting on the recent peak of our season. Lake Eildon remained consistently in the high 90% of capacity; so close to full. This is the second season in a row for the Lake to experience these very high levels. It should be noted this is not the first time for this to happen.
This has ensured that houseboat owners have had the choice of many inlets to find a favourite spot for their family to enjoy. Plus being away from the wash caused by the speedboats and their skiers.
Also, at these heights the Lake looks magnificent as the water blends into the forested mountain ranges. Enjoy it while it lasts as the seasons will change as we are a land of drought and flooding rains. This is why our forefathers built Lake Eildon.
To put this in perspective, there are only around 720 houseboat licenses which means 720 houseboats. At full capacity Lake Eildon is equivalent to SIX Sydney Harbours with 520km of shoreline. Only 720 families can wake up in the morning with the water at their duckboards: their own special backyard.
From an Industry perspective it was most pleasing to see newly built houseboats launched in the leadup to Christmas. These new builds continue to advance with their professional designs, presentations and the technology enabling a first class experience for families on Lake Eildon.
They are such a long way from a caravan on pontoons experience (sometimes it is worth a look at “Mini Jane” in the Eildon Museum). Today the houseboats are world class magnificent apartments on the Lake. I find this exciting as we continue to evolve to meet the expectations of the holiday market of today.
The vision, the craftsmanship and hard work that goes into producing these magnificent holiday homes is exceptional.
We now have a very skilled workforce in Eildon building, renovating, and maintaining the houseboat fleet. All the businesses could do with more staff and that is one of the challenges for the Industry.
Nevertheless, the Houseboat Industry at Lake Eildon is recognized as an important part of the local economy providing many local jobs.
This was not always the case. This was brought back to me when driving past the Lake Eildon Industrial Yard during January.
The Yard was close to empty. This is not a bad thing, in fact a good thing. It shows that most people are using their houseboats on the Lake for the peak season. It is not expected that the Yard will be full again until after Easter. This is when the maintenance and renovation season kicks in.
Before the Size Regulations for Houseboats were altered in 2013 this was the normal scenario. What did the businesses do with staff between Christmas and Easter? In those days due to the length of this period (3 to 4 months) most of the staff were casual or sub-contractors.
Today with the new builds the houseboat businesses are already flat out ensuring no downtime for the business and the staff. This has altered the Business Case of the houseboat builders and has
seen investment in staff and plant and equipment. This has enabled the World Class Industry we now have.
There is concern in the Industry that the Business Case that has underlined this investment in staff, plant and equipment could be under threat. This is based around the availability of Houseboat Licenses to enable the building of the new houseboats.
We understand that there less than 10 GMW Category 3 houseboats left on the Lake. These are where most of the Licenses came from to build the 100 new houseboats that have been built over the last decade. Category 4 houseboats are now being purchased for their Licenses.
The Industry is advocating for the release of 10 new houseboat licenses per year for the next ten years to ensure the Business Case of the Houseboat Builders continues to stack up so the investment in staff, plant and equipment continues. We do not want to regress and go back to the old days.
The main impediment to the release of new houseboat licenses is to do with the concerns from the Dept of Health and the EPA with regards to the untreated Grey Water being returned to the Lake from houseboats.
The Dept of Health and the EPA look at a houseboat the same way as any house in town. In town you pay the local authority to treat your Black Water and your Grey Water. In Melbourne it is Melbourne Water and locally it is Goulburn Valley Water. They want the same for houseboats, especially with the larger houseboats which can have many more people onboard.
This is one reason why the Industry has been pro-active in working with DEECA in finding a solution. Two of our brilliant local houseboat plumbers (Aiden Gale & John Gysberts) have come up with a viable solution that we believe works.
The Lake Eildon Solution is currently being trialled on a houseboat on the Lake. So far with over 4 months of usage all tests have been positive with further testing programmed. We hope to have this system certified in the near future. Once the Certification takes place, we are hopeful that it will meet the concerns of the Dept of Health and the EPA.
From the Industry perspective, we will be seeking the release of new houseboat licenses but more importantly, it will provide greater confidence that when your children are swimming around your houseboat there is a greatly reduced probability that they could become ill as outlined by the concerns of the Dept of Health.
Please note that this Lake Eildon Solution for the treatment of Grey Water is only being looked at for new houseboat builds and the commercial hire houseboat fleet.
However, when there is confidence in the Lake Eildon Solution other houseboat owners may wish to voluntarily instal the system.
The Industry knows we produce World Class Houseboats and when the Lake Eildon Solution is certified we will be producing the most Environmentally Sensitive Houseboats as well.
The Autumn is a magnificent time of the year at Lake Eildon.
Come enjoy this magical place leading up to an early Easter.
Regards
Mike Dalmau
President
LEHIA