Kids of all ages rushed off school buses at Bawley Point on Thursday afternoon, charging to the resurrected jump spot for their first leap from the new platform.

The delight on the faces of young and old was impossible to hide.

Bawley Point Gantry Restoration committee member Carrie Smith was overjoyed at the return of the South Coast icon.

“What I love about it is that it just makes people happy,” she said.

“So many people are telling me it is the best Christmas present they could ever imagine.

“There has not been a single ounce of negativity about the gantry.

“It has completely brought the community together.

“It just brings joy to people and I think that is what it is all about.”

Only six months after its destruction in king tides during the east coast low, the Bawley Point Gantry is restored.

The rebuild began on December 1 as Bawley Point businessman Terry Snow donated approximately $60,000 to the project.

“If someone didn’t fund the project, it would have been kicked around for political football,” he said.

“Its important for the kids to have access to the gantry and to be able to jump off it.

“Its a rite of passage.”

Shoalhaven City Council received a $60,000 grant from NSW Recreational Fishing Trust to assist the restoration, after applying for the grant in March, 2016.

It is understood this is the first ocean fishing platform in NSW to receive such funding.

Shoalhaven City Council’s director of assets and works Ben Stewart said it was a positive ending for all involved.

“This is a great outcome for residents and visitors to Bawley Point with the replacement of the fishing platform.

“We can preserve the history of the gantry which played such an important economic role to many residents in the late 1800s and early 1900s.” 

The restored gantry is built entirely of ironbark, with the community confident the reinforced model designed by Shoalhaven City Council will withstand the test of time.

The gantry was one of the last remnants of a timber mill that began operation in 1891, which was a central component of the Bawley Point community.

After more than a century of creating memories for the community, it is time to look forward to the next 100 years.

To view a gallery of Bawley Point Gantry pictures, click here.