THE operation of a crane at Shute Harbour heralded the end of an era when it moved on the last remaining building at the former ferry terminal on Friday.

Mackay-based company, Team Engineering Services, are spearheading the demolition of the Lloyd Roberts Jetty which was badly damaged during Cyclone Debbie.

The demolition is expected to be complete by the end of June.

Servicing as a Whitsunday island launching point since the late 1960s, the Lloyd Roberts Jetty was named after the Country Party member for Whitsunday, who represented the Whitsundays from 1950 until the time of his death in 1961.

Division 1 councillor with the Whitsunday Regional Council, Jan Clifford remembers the jetty operating in its prime when she arrived in the Whitsundays in the early 1990s.

"I used to visit ABC Yacht Charter and Fantasea was in full flight as was Whitsunday All Over,” she said.

"Its a historic changing of the landscape.”

On Friday the old cafe was lifted in one piece to avoid demolition of the building over the water and the possibility of building material entering the marine ecosystem.

The next step will be the cutting of the concrete jetty into manageable pieces and the removal of the concentre pylons.

The carpark will be raised by 0.7 metre in preparation for the building of a new facility which will not be installed over the water.

Three new commercial jetties are planned, which will have fuel, water and pumps installed.

A jetty to replace the now removed South Molle Jetty at the eastern end of the marine precinct will be used for small commercial operators such as Salty Dog Kayaks, Scamper and Island Transfers.

A dedicated fishing jetty is also planned.

The Whitsunday Regional Council has asked for expressions of interest to be submitted for the rebuild but no tender has been awarded.

For Cr Clifford, the completion of the demolition marks the beginning of a new era for Shute Harbour after having to fight for NDRRA funding and ensuing delays in the reconstruction post Cyclone Debbie.

"Now I can't wait to see the whole thing rise like a phoenix from the ashes,” she said.

"It is the start of a whole new era for Shute Harbour and integral in the development of Lindeman Island.

Shute Harbour was identified in March this year as a hub from which a $500 million Lindeman Island rebuild will be launched.