Anchors aweigh for Bruny Island with second ferry plan to ease congestion

A BORN-and-bred Bruny Island resident says the long-awaited second ferry run will be of enormous benefit to the island.

Bruny Island

A BORN-and-bred Bruny Island resident says the long-awaited second ferry run will be of enormous benefit to the island.

Trevor Adams, from Alonnah, said it would be "bloody great" when the extra ferry came on line during Easter next year.

Ferry operator Graeme Phillips will run a second vessel a barge to increase capacity to Bruny Island by 50 per cent during peak hours.

Mr Adams, a 70-year-old retiree and active community worker, was the island's warden in the 1980s and now sits on the Bruny Island advisory committee.

"The extra ferry will help the island no end. It will be good for residents and small businesses with extra tourists," he said.

Mr Adams has lived on the island all his life except for his years in the Army, which included being in the first batch of Australian troops sent to the Vietnam War in 1965.

"The proposed single barge will be good for primary producers because they can use triple-deck stock carriers for transport to reduce stock stress," he said.

Victoria Sandford, a cheesemonger at iconic Bruny Island Cheese Company, said the barge news was terrific.

"Bring it on, but it's a pity we have to wait so long. It would be great for this summer season," she said.

Multi-award-winning Bruny Island tourism operator Rob Pennicott, who was showing a group from Singapore the island, said the barge service would help shackies and locals by cutting "wait time" in ferry queues.

"It is absolutely fantastic news. It will encourage investment that doesn't destroy the values of the island," Mr Pennicott said.

"All the businesses will benefit, and that is wonderful for tourism. The big advantage will be next summer. For our business, it will help people get to tours on time to show them this beautiful place."

Rick Gumley, who operates the Mermaid Cafe at Kettering, said traffic built up on Christmas Eve and hung for the week, and it was the same again during Easter.

"The extra vessel makes you happy. I don't see any problems," Mr Grumley said.

Andrew Clark, a resident of Kettering for 28 years, said the extra ferry would ease the burden up Ferry Rd.

"The hold-up now is when the traffic banks up along the road as people pay at the ticket box. The congestion affects residents," Mr Clark said. "It could be more efficient to start taking money while cars are in the line or on the ferry."

A planned $8 million upgrade to Ferry Rd and terminals would make a big difference, he said.