Victor Harbor cruise ship plan would take passengers straight to Granite Island
CRUISE ship passengers would dock at Granite Island under an ambitious plan to bring thousands of tourists to the “jewel” of the Fleurieu Peninsula.
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CRUISE ship passengers would dock at Granite Island under an ambitious plan to bring thousands of tourists to the “jewel” of the Fleurieu Peninsula.
Victor Harbor Council on Monday night voted to prepare a business case for setting up boating infrastructure on the island, to accommodate cruise ship tender boats.
The council hopes to tap into the growing cruise ship market within the next two years, sending passengers direct to Granite Island.
Mayor Graham Philp said the project, yet to be costed, would take passengers right to the “jewel” in the region’s crown and could also benefit other tourism operators.
“Granite Island as we see it is the jewel in the sea, for Victor Harbor and SA,” Mr Philp said. A council report said the Granite Island site, near its Screwpile Jetty, would be a “relatively inexpensive option” for the project because of the area’s deep water and natural protection from sea swell.
However, it noted “significant transport logistic challenges” involved with getting hundreds of people from tender boats over the causeway to the mainland.
The State Heritage-listed causeway may need strengthening, or widening, it said, to accommodate buses or a train system.
Mr Philp said the council would investigate the project’s economic viability, including the best and most cost-effective ways to move passengers to the shore.
“It will be fantastic for the Fleurieu once we work out how to get people off comfortably and quickly,” he said.
The council would discuss the project with the community, including the Ngarrindjeri people, local to the Fleurieu Peninsula, before deciding whether to proceed.
It would seek to partner with the Federal or State Government to pay for the works.
The SA Tourism Commission and cruise company Carnival Australia had preferred a site on the mainland, the council report said, to maximise economic opportunities.
The State Government wants to have 100 cruise ship visits to South Australia, contributing $200 million to the economy, by 2020.
Australian Marine Wildlife Research and Rescue Organisation founder Aaron Machado raised fears that sending thousands of extra tourists to the island would risk damaging its sensitive environment.
“If we start increasing the number of people walking through that area, you’re going to wipe out your penguin population,” Mr Machado said.
“It’s a conservation park that needs to be treated as such and not a cash cow.”
Mr Machado said the plan could also create biosecurity issues, via contaminants on tourists’ shoes.
The latest count, in October last year, found 28 adult little penguins on Granite Island.
Mr Philp said little penguins typically left the island for the ocean at sunrise, not returning until sunset — so were unlikely to be affected by cruise ship passengers.
There were also plans to set up cameras on the island to watch over the penguin colony.
An SA Tourism Commission spokeswoman said the organisation wanted passengers to disembark directly onto the mainland if cruise ships docked at Victor Harbor — not on Granite Island — to maximise the project’s economic impact.
“Passengers are only in port for a short time and need quick access to transport and amenities while on land to make the most of their short stay,” she said.
“Unfortunately the Granite Island jetty is too isolated and too far to walk with no transport options that can cater for hundreds of people for bulk movement for passengers looking to enjoy the town and its surrounds.”