Plans to resurrect BotanyBay ferry

FERRIES could be plying the waters of Botany Bay under plans to resurrect a service between La Perouse and Kurnell that could eventually include a stop near Sydney Airport.

The ferry Rose at Sans Souci wharf approximately 1900. Picture: City of Sydney Archives

• Ferry services closed, Sydney flights delayed as fog blankets city
• Purpose-built ferries to join the fast Manly fleet; more to come

FERRIES could be plying the waters of Botany Bay under plans to resurrect a service between La Perouse and Kurnell that could eventually include a stop near Sydney Airport.

A Transport for NSW draft study proposes $17 million be spent rebuilding wharves on the opposite sides of the entrance to Botany Bay to resume a service for tourists and commuters in time for the 250th anniversary of Captain James Cook’s landing at Kurnell in 2020.

The original wharves were destroyed by a storm in 1974, putting a halt to ferry services that had begun in the 1890s.

The La Perouse to Kurnell ferry. Picture: supplied.

The La Perouse to Kurnell ferry operated between 1898 and 1974 until a storm destroyed the wharves

The study says there could be scope to expand the network of ferry stops to include Brighton-Le-Sands and — to service workers at Sydney Airport — one either at the mouth of the Cooks River or at an existing recreational facility at Hayes Dock in Port Botany, which could then be linked by a shuttle bus for employees to the airport.

“Shuttling commuters from the primary La Perouse ferry wharf to the airport could also be an option although presents a less attractive option for reducing travel times compared to other transport modes,” the report says.

The draft report estimates commuter use in peak hour at 135 trips with the journey between Kurnell and La Perouse — a distance of 1.5km — taking 15 to 20 minutes. In comparison, travelling the 32km between the two points via bus and train currently takes two hours and 20 minutes, or between 32 and 46 minutes in the car without traffic.

However, the study shows a ferry service would be primarily for tourists, as it would not generate the revenue needed to operate as a stand-alone commuter shuttle and would need a cash injection from the state government.

Nevertheless, it is expected to “provide numerous indirect social, economic and tourism benefits for La Perouse, Kurnell and wider Sydney” that would bolster the case for any economic shortfall.

Bass and Flinders Cruises manager Richard Ford said there would be a lot of support for that idea if the infrastructure was well established.

“They would have to ensure that the interchanges are well connected, especially with things like parking and a bus terminus,” he said.

Transport for NSW is seeking feedback on the draft feasibility study.

You can submit feedback by emailing projects@transport. nsw.gov.au.