A meeting has been called for 1pm today at the Goolwa Wharf to protest a plan to move the historic Oscar W paddle steamer from its current moorings and evict its volunteers from the existing wharf shed.

The Mayor of Alexandrina will attend the meeting to discuss the proposal which is part of the Goolwa Wharf Precinct revitalisation.

The draft master plan for the precinct says the area an “outdated, dysfunctional place” which would be transformed into one with “infrastructure, brand and renewed community enthusiasm” under the plan.

One of the ways the consultants propose to transform the area is to make “better use” of the Goolwa Wharf Shed.

Under their plan the Oscar W would be moved from its mooring outside the historic shed to the lowered southern end of the wharf.

The council would then build a new building to house the volunteers of the Oscar W and maintenance operations.

Oscar W engineer and committee member Kevin Cross says it would be a complete waste of money to move the paddle steamer away from heritage sheds only to build a fake heritage building at the new site.

If the Oscar W and its volunteer workforce are moved it will facilitate the expansion of a wine bar which currently occupies the southern corner of the sheds.

Mr Cross says the southern end of the wharf was originally added to create a lower space to moor small boats and is unsuitable for the large paddle steamer. 

It would also mean there would no longer be places for smaller craft at the wharf.

The Friends of the Oscar W say they do not agree with a statement put to council on Monday that says the paddle steamer is “not related or associated with the assessed heritage significance of the wharf or the wharf shed”.

They have also voiced concerns about the consultation process.

Alexandrina Mayor Keith Parkes told ABC Radio Adelaide this morning that he supports the Friends of the Oscar W and that the consultants being used by council are not listening to what the community wants.

He said as Mayor he doesn’t get a vote on the redevelopment.

The Oscar W was returned to the Goolwa Wharf in 1988 and underwent a $200 000 refurbishment.

Goolwa was the first Australian river port to build paddle steamers with 37 steamers and 23 barges built in the town during the steamboat heyday.