Northern Peninsula Area Council accused of poor timing for ferry closure
Cape York tourism businesses are bracing for a “financial disaster” at yet another closure of the beleaguered Jardine River Ferry that may not open as planned due to extreme river levels.
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Cape York tourism businesses are bracing for a major financial hit while the beleaguered Jardine River Ferry is again shut down for repairs and visitors are locked out.
Adding to frustration of residents, are reduced cargo ship servicing the nation’s northernmost mainland communities that are now cut off by land and partially by sea.
The Northern Peninsula Area Council on April 4 announced the closure of the Jardine River car ferry for repairs from April 23 to May 23.
Ferry hull maintenance is needed to comply with Australian Maritime Safety Authority standards.
The ramshackle old car ferry is the only legal passenger vehicle access to the Tip.
Four-wheel-drive enthusiasts planning bucket list trips to the Tip were quick to express frustration about 19 days’ notice after often planning a Cape York trip for years.
Owner of an iconic souvenir shop at Pajinka, Lea Webb, said the maintenance of the ferry was poorly timed toward the end of an extended wet season and isolated communities of Injinoo, Umagico, Bamaga, New Mapoon, and Seisia deserved better.
“The biggest thing is it was done without any notice and it left people stranded up here because the river was flooded,” she said.
“People were planning on getting out but now they have to wait until the end of May.
“People plan holidays years in advance and this is the trip of a lifetime and they were not given notice either.
“After a wet season without income, you really look forward to opening your doors, it is a big (financial) hit, but there is nothing we can really do about it.
“I really feel we are forgotten up here.”
Adding to access headaches were mechanical problems and reduced availability of Sea Swift vessels the Newcastle Bay and Warrender which has caused months-long backlog of non-essential freight deliveries into the Northern Peninsula Area.
“This is not OK to have us cut off like this and we do need assistance,” she said.
“We are not classified as a disaster so that means we are not eligible for any funding or any army assistance and the communication up here is always poor.”
Acting council chief executive Lew Rojahn said the AMSA-regulated ferry closure had been “carefully timed” to begin after the Easter school holidays but flooding of the Jardine River since April 10 had meant for safety reasons the ferry can’t operate.
If the repair work goes according to plan and the crossing reopens on May 23 it will mean the ferry has been out of action for the best part of six weeks.
“These annual works are necessary to ensure the ferry continues to operate safely and efficiently as we enter the peak travel and tourism period,” he said.
Cape York Camping Punsand Bay general manager Jack Colquhoun said for years work on the 40-year-old ferry had been kicked down the road and now AMSA were holding firm on maintenance that can’t be delayed any longer.
He said a long term vision was needed to map out the future management of the crossing that he hoped would deliver certainty for tourism businesses that stood to lose millions of dollars this season.
“This is a financial disaster, I don’t think the community knows how much of a detrimental effect it will have until it happens,” he said.
“We could see from the get-go that (the closure) is going to snooker the whole community.
“We can’t organise any staff and don’t know when to place our first orders, it’s catastrophic for any business up here.”
Local transport operator Jim Foody has been awarded the ferry maintenance contract but due to about 270mm of rain in last week it is understood no work on the ferry has actually begun and Mr Colquhoun expressed concerns that the May 23 opening would be pushed back.
Its also feared flow-on effects of the ferry closure could impact state government works to construct a new Bamaga fire station, housing and a medical centre at Injinoo.
“They are about to down tools because they can’t get building materials into the community,” he said.
Travellers have pleaded with the ferry’s operator for updates to the river crossing that’s serviced by an often unreliable and ageing cable barge which some argue should be replaced with a bridge.
“The ferry has more maintenance than a McDonald’s ice cream machine,” one traveller said.
Others suggested river crossing income should be used to buy a second ferry.
In a conservative estimate, the council collected up to $2.6m last year, assuming each car is carrying three people based on a 2024 visitation rate of 60,000 people and a charge of $130 per car.
In 2023 it cost $121 to cross the Jardine which increased to $130 in 2024 and this year council hiked the price 23 per cent to $160 per car or $250 for vehicles with a trailer or caravan.
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Originally published as Northern Peninsula Area Council accused of poor timing for ferry closure
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