NT Government flags Palmerston to Darwin ferry service

PALMERSTON commuters could choose water over bitumen for their daily commute from as early as next year

Transport Minister Peter Chandler says the government is examining the feasibility of a Palmerston ferry service. PICTURE: Rex Nicholson

PALMERSTON commuters could choose water over bitumen for their daily commute from as early as next year.

A ferry service connecting Palmerston to Darwin and Mandorah is being flagged by the NT Government, pending the finding of a newly commissioned feasibility study.

Currently a ferry runs regularly between only Cullen Bay and Mandorah.

Transport Minister Peter Chandler said the government was looking into “whether or not a commuter-based and tourism-based ferry service would work”.

He said a company had been employed to find out if the proposal for a ferry service connecting Cullen Bay, Stokes Hill Wharf, Mandorah and Palmerston was feasible.

“They’re doing that work now, they’re going to come back to the government with costing around, one, whether it stacks up, two, what kind of money would be involved in the infrastructure to build,”

Mr Chandler said. “In some cases a lot of it (infrastructure) exists but some of it would have to be upgraded.”

Mr Chandler said Sea Swift had shown interest in starting up a ferry service.

“Sea Swift are very interested in doing something but they want to know they are backed up by the numbers, so that’s why we commissioned the company at the moment to do the research to see whether or not it does stack up,” he said.

Mr Chandler said the study would prepare the government for the future. “I think we should do the planning now for it and who’s to say we could start limited trials between Mandorah, Palmerston and Darwin as soon as next year,” he said. “But the long term, Berry Springs, Casuarina, a whole network ... you could be talking five or 10 years down the track but you should be doing the planning now just to get ready for it.”

Independent candidate for Port Darwin, Matthew Baker, said if elected he would undertake a feasibility study to create a central ferry terminal at Stokes Hill Wharf to ease parking woes in Cullen Bay.

“By moving the ferry you free up around 150 car parks in Cullen Bay,” he said.

He said the space at Stokes Hill Wharf would allow for parking expansion as the population of Mandorah grew.

Mr Baker said he would like to see the ferry service made into a tourism link from the Waterfront to Cullen Bay.