THE long-awaited restoration of the Balcombe Estuary Boardwalk is set to receive future funding under the Mornington Peninsula Shire’s latest draft budget.
The draft budget, which was released at the 14 April council meeting, has revealed $400,000 will be allocated to the boardwalk in 2029, followed by a further $2.6m in 2030.
A section of the 3.5km Mount Martha boardwalk has remained closed since flooding in 2022; fenced off and inaccessible.
As previously reported by The News, the damaged boardwalk has been the subject of ongoing conversation and debate within the community, with residents calling for action.
Members of the Rotary Club of Mount Martha have been vocal regarding their frustration over the time it has taken to secure a clear funding pathway.
Rotary club president Anne Shaw said the boardwalk is an icon to the Mount Martha community and is something that shouldn’t be lost.
“While it’s in the long-range budget, at least it’s there, which is an improvement,” Shaw said.
“It can’t happen soon enough and it’s really important that the community keeps the pressure on to see this happen.”
Shaw said the community needs to keep boardwalk reparations on councillors’ radars and said the Rotary will continue to advocate for the project.
“We’d like it done tomorrow, but in reality, there’s so many things to balance, and it is the kind of project that would be a very good project to put forward for other levels of government to help fund it,” she said.
In November 2024, the shire proposed three options for rebuilding, with the community endorsing “option one”, which included replacing the boardwalk along its existing alignment (Rising tide of support to return boardwalk, The News 18/03/25).
Councillors had mixed opinions regarding which option should be undertaken, with Briars Ward Cr Anthony Marsh supporting the community’s decision, while other councillors such as Cr David Gill holding concerns over environmental impacts (Budget battle looms over estuary boardwalk fix, The News 16/04/25).
The draft budget reveals the next stage will be completing detailed designs and permit approvals to help support future grant applications.
First published in the Mornington News – 28 April 2026
