Lower north shore wants a slice of Sydney Harbour’s cruise bounty
SYDNEY HARBOUR is enjoying a cruise boom and the north shore wants a bigger slice of the $1 billion action by having liners ferry passengers to Mosman shopping strips, Balmoral beach and Taronga Zoo.
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SYDNEY Harbour is enjoying a boom in cruise holidays and the lower north shore wants a bigger slice of the $1 billion action.
So far this season, five cruise ships have docked off shore at Athol Buoy, with thousands of tourists floating on board.
And the chambers of commerce in Mosman and Neutral Bay would love to see the passengers coming directly to explore their suburbs.
“As a chamber we would welcome more people to see our beautiful shopping centre,” said Mosman chamber president Pat Purcell.
“It would be a wonderful boost to business.”
Ms Purcell said tourists could combine a shopping trip with a visit to Balmoral Beach and Taronga Zoo.
Neutral Bay Chamber of Commerce was equally enthusiastic about welcoming the passengers.
Co-president Rick Doran said the area has lots on offer for tourists, with harbourside parks, The Oaks Hotel and the house museum Nutcote.
“They are missing out on a real nice part of Sydney,” he said.
“It’s easy for the cruise ships to get them into Neutral Bay and whip them up to Military Rd.”
The cruise ships docking off the lower north shore are part of a trend that has seen the number of ships in the harbour increase from 282 last year to 302 this season.
Passengers are ferried to locations on shore at the discretion of the cruise companies and the Man O’ War Steps wharf behind the Opera House is used as a ferry drop-off point for passengers visiting the city.
Ships can berth at Athol Buoy if Circular Quay and White Bay Cruise Terminals are booked up.
Royal Caribbean use the Athol Buoy but said it is not possible to ferry passengers directly to the lower north shore from their cruise ships.
“Mooring at Athol Buoy provides our guests with some of the most beautiful views of the northern side of Sydney Harbour,” a spokeswoman said.
“While it’s not currently possible to disembark passengers at Mosman or Neutral Bay because there isn’t the necessary infrastructure for up to 5000 passengers and crew, Mosman and its surrounds are frequently visited by our guests on shore excursions and on daytrips of their own, especially Taronga Zoo.”
Research by the Cruise Lines International Association Australasia found direct cruise tourism expenditure in NSW was $1.29 billion in 2014-15.
In Sydney, international home port passengers spent an average of $740 a day while international transit passengers spent $220.
“Cruise continues to be the fastest growing tourism sector in Australia,” said a spokeswoman for the Port Authority of NSW.
The peak cruise season is from November to April. Like the Mosman Daily on Facebook.
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