Ulmarra to Southgate ferry closure: Residents fight Transport for NSW decision to close ‘vital’ historic service
A North Coast community is fighting to retain a ferry service which began in the 1890s and the incensed local MP says if the state wants to shut ferries “they should close one of the dozens they subsidise in Sydney”.
Grafton
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Clarence residents and businesses are up in arms as the state government plans to shut the historic Ulmarra to Southgate ferry.
The crossing 15 minutes north of Grafton was established way back in the 1890s and the current vessel has been operating since the 1950s, connecting the two villages.
But Transport for NSW has cited “reduced patronage, poor service reliability, vessel age” and the “availability of alternate routes” and said the service will stop from June.
The department also raised “value for money considerations” ahead of the last scheduled trip across the Clarence River at low tide on June 10.
Clarence resident Debbie Newton said: “They say it’s reached the ‘end of life’ and it’s going to cost too much to replace in terms of its use and situation of the river.”
She was sceptical about the reasons given and said the community would see the slashing of the service, whether used enough or not, as another blow for regional areas as politicians “stump up” for metro projects.
Ms Newton and other Clarence residents have argued delivering infrastructure for the regions was no less important than in cities, despite lower populations.
Clarence MP Richie Williamson, of the Nationals, intended to bring the matter up in parliament and said the closure would prove stressful for locals.
“Shutting down our historic ferry service would have major consequences for Clarence Valley residents,” he said.
“It would turn a return trip between Southgate and Ulmarra from 4 kilometres to 60km.
“This extra mileage, time, and cost will be devastating for the many families and small business operators who use this service.”
There has been no plans aired by authorities for a new bridge after the ferry shuts and residents have been petitioning for the ferry to remain.
Mr Williamson has taken a petition with more than 6000 signatures to parliament and said he would fight to overturn the closure.
Capable of carrying up to six cars, the ferry has been an important and free mode of transport for tourists and residents alike.
In March, protests to keep the ferry afloat were attended by Mr Williamson, Shadow Minister for Regional Transport and Roads Dave Layzell, Clarence Valley Council councillor Steve Pickering, Ulmarra businesswoman Sue Kearney and ex-state MP Steve Cansdell, who is also an Ulmarra resident.
Mr Williamson said: “If the NSW Labor government is hellbent on shutting down a ferry service, they should close one of the dozens they subsidise in Sydney, not the only one we have in Ulmarra.”
The ferry has operated alongside two more ferries at Lawrence, which are used to access the township of Maclean as an alternative route to Grafton.
Meanwhile, Ms Kearney – who spearheaded the save our ferry campaign and petition – has recorded a song titled Ferry Across the Clarence, which has been playing on local radio, including Loving Life FM 103.1 and 2GF.
Ms Kearney criticised Transport for NSW after a May 9 meeting, which she believed was “spun like a penny on Anzac Day”.
She said the department had made their mind up before the meeting designed to “alleviate any concerns”.
Ms Kearney said the community has not been properly consulted and “a 76 kilometre round trip cannot be in the best interest for the community”. She said the ferry was “vital”.
The department states the ferry “has served the community well” but “improved alternate transport networks have been completed in recent years”, which were “safer” and “more reliable”
“Since the upgrade of the Pacific Highway, road improvements on Big River Way and the opening of the new $240 million Grafton Bridge in December 2019, the patronage of the ferry has significantly declined, with the six-car-ferry carrying on average less than two cars per trip across the river,” the department states.
Transport for NSW regional director north Anna Zycki said it would take about 18 months and more than $5 million to get the service up to scratch.
She said the ferry has been getting bogged on the riverbed due to the build up of silt on the Southgate side of the river.
“The river is constantly changing course and there is nothing we can do to prevent the silt building up,” Ms Zycki said.
“We’ve dredged in the past, but it’s only a matter of a couple of weeks and the silt is back.
“It’s costly to do and has no lasting benefit.”
Ms Zycki said the condition of the ferry was another factor.
“The existing ferry has reached the end of its serviceable life,” she said.
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