Robe locals and budding visitors will be thrilled to hear that the popular pontoon at Front Beach had a welcome homecoming to the beachside town earlier this week. Following insurance complications, repairs, and the acquisition of a new seabed license, the iconic pontoon, nicknamed “The Big Bopper”, returned to the water on Tuesday, January 14th.
After a number of incidents elsewhere in Australia, pontoon-related safety concerns have been re-examined over the last few months, with heightened guidelines now in place for pontoon owners.
Late last year, insurers told the Robe council that in addition to daily above water and underwater inspections, a seabed license from the Department of Infrastructure and Transport was also needed to get the pontoon back on the water. Initially, these measures were perceived as a “knee-jerk reaction” by Robe District Council CEO Nat Traeger.
“To inspect the pontoon you need a vessel, and ours wasn’t in service. We also had no staff with a pro skippers license to undertake the inspection. It was all a bit tricky, so we put it to bed for a while.”

During the 2024 Christmas and New Years period, this matter was set aside by the council until early January.
As one of the few in SA to own a pontoon, the council took matters into their own hands by lifting the pontoon out of the water with a straddle carrier. The ensuing maintenance involved addressing entrapment hazards, sharp edges, and the “massive ecology of sea-life” that was weighing down the underside of the pontoon.
After several weeks of maintenance and engineering, the pontoon was carefully restored to working order. The seabed license was swiftly approved, with the insurers agreeing that weekly inspections would be sufficient in meeting safety requirements.
On Tuesday, a team including Nat, council members, and local fisherman Jack Perkins headed out onto the water to return the pontoon to its rightful anchor point. The reaction from Robe locals and visitors was immense when the pontoon finally returned to the water on Tuesday, with an enormous lineup gathering on the foreshore to watch Nat and her team tow it out into the sea.
“I could hear the excited squeals of the kids watching on the shore, and they were clamouring onto it before it was even shackled to the seabed.”

Tourism in Robe reaches a peak during the summer months, so this is fantastic timing for the Robe council, who have reported a surge in tourism and record-setting numbers for local businesses.
“We go from a population of 1,500 to 20,000 this time of year. People cram into caravan parks, houses, motels. One of the discovery parks has more people staying in it than the population of Robe.”
Constructed in a manner similar to those found in marinas, the Robe pontoon was originally owned by the Lions Club and consists of two pontoon pieces joined together with a ladder. The Lions Club later gifted the structure to the Robe District Council, who are fortunate to manage and own their pontoon unlike neighbouring towns like Kingston and a number of spots along the Yorke Peninsula.
This news comes at a time when numerous SA councils and groups are fighting to keep pontoons afloat amid insurance concerns. Other progress associations and lion clubs in towns like Port Vincent, Kingston, Stansbury, and Wool Bay have been exploring insurance options. Stansbury recently had insurance for their pontoons approved.
In the face of regulatory challenges, the Robe District Council has been able to keep the pontoon operational, returning the iconic structure to the water for another season. The successful reconditioning of the pontoon ensures that a cherished piece of Robe’s history and community remains safely intact.
For Nat Traeger and Robe locals, the beach “looks as it should now that the pontoon is back in place.”
“Some people have gone so far to as say that the pontoon is as important to Robe as the obelisk. It was a feel-good moment to experience how important it is and how popular it is.”
This fixture of the Robe foreshore will remain on the water until April and then stored away for winter. After that, it’ll be back in October for another six months, bringing joy to local residents and tourists alike.
WHAT: Robe pontoon returns to the water
WHEN: October – April annually
WHERE: Robe, SA
For more information, click here.
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