Second Kangaroo Island passenger ferry service to begin in two weeks

AFTER 25 years, a competitor ferry service to Kangaroo Island will launch, with bold plans to halve the trip’s current ticket price and travel time from Cape Jervis.

KANGAROO Island’s new passenger ferry service launches in two weeks with bold plans to halve the trip’s current ticket price and travel time from Cape Jervis.

Adelaide entrepreneur David Harris is joining forces with the newly formed Cape Jervis Tourist Services to offer car and bus parking, accommodation and food — and has shipped 20 cars to Kangaroo Island as part of his new hire business.

Work is now being finalised on the service’s $1.6 million James Cowell catamaran with extra passenger seating being installed upstairs along with a kids’ play area and snooze zone downstairs.

“My aim is to run a ferry that’s half the price, takes half the time and is twice the fun,” Mr Harris said.

David Harris with the new catamaran he’s using for the new, second ferry service to Kangaroo Island. Picture: Matt Turner

Creating the new Kangaroo Island Connect service — to be known as kic — has been a long journey for the former Kangaroo Island farmer who has wanted to take on SeaLink’s monopoly in transporting locals and tourists for the past 18 years.

The new ferry was named after Mr Harris’s late father-in-law, a long-term Kangaroo Island farmer and fierce critic of the island being serviced by only one operator.

“There hasn’t been any competition for 25 years, I think there’s a growing market with more tourists going to the island and we can do it a bit cheaper and faster, so I thought I would have a crack,” Mr Harris said.

“Competition will mean all fares will drop and I think it has the potential to double the number of people going to Kangaroo Island.”

It took 10 months to find the perfect ferry with Mr Harris last year buying the Tasmanian-built catamaran previously used by World Heritage Cruises in Macquarie Harbor.

Now docked in Port Adelaide, work is underway to refurbish decks, to overhaul the downstairs rooms and to install extra seating for up to 95 passengers expected to pay about $25 for a one-way ticket to Kangaroo Island.

Inside the catamaran for the second passenger ferry service to KI. Picture Matt Turner

From January 28, the ferry service was expected to make the return trip to Penneshaw from Cape Jervis twice a day, with a bus shuttle service also travelling from Seaford train station.

Mr Harris has plans for “toffs” prepared to pay a few extra dollars being allowed to travel upstairs with the captain, to install USB charging points inside and to have funky music and events happening at the docks to “jazz it up a bit”.

Other plans included launching a linked scenic flight tourism business on Kangaroo Island with Wright Aviation that currently specialises in Lake Eyre and Anna Creek Painted Hills outback scenic flights.

Cape Willougby Lighthouse on Kangaroo Island.

Cape Jervis Tourist Services was formed between Cape Jervis Holiday Units owners Ray and Paula Clark along with the owners of Cape Jervis Station and Caravan Park, Sally and Anthony Miles, after attending a public meeting with Mr Harris in Cape Jervis.

Mr Clark believed the new venture would increase tourism numbers and boost employment opportunities for locals, with the businesses already running accommodation and a restaurant between them.

“We’re going to run the kiosk where the buses can drop people off and shuttle people to the ferry, there’s a lot of options for new tourism and all of the district will benefit,” Mr Clark said.