Anger over cruise ships ‘spoiling’ Wineglass Bay’s postcard views

It will be a least another year before cruise ships stop calling into a popular Tasmanian tourist destination.

The cruise ship Golden Princess visits Wineglass Bay on December 18. Picture: KIP NUNN

THE sight of a large cruise ship anchored in Wineglass Bay has angered locals who had welcomed a recent Government commitment to stop the vessels from entering the pristine location.

The cruise ship, carrying 2590 passengers, called into Wineglass Bay during the busy week before Christmas.

“This is one of the major tourist attractions in Tasmania, and to put a cruise ship in the middle of it spoils it,” Coles Bay local Adrian Sullivan said. “Is there a ban on them or isn’t there?”

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Tourism Industry Council Tasmania chief executive officer Luke Martin said the industry wanted to see an end to cruise ships in Wineglass Bay, although he understood an abrupt halt was a challenge for the companies.

“People come from all over the world for that postcard shot of Wineglass Bay, the last thing they want to see is a cruise ship in the middle of it,” he said.

In October the State Government announced it was addressing concerns about cruise ships entering Wineglass Bay and had gained a commitment from cruise companies to stop further bookings.

“The government is taking action to limit cruise ships entering Wineglass Bay, in recognition of the impact on the scenic amenity and consequential impact on the visitor experience,” Premier Will Hodgman said at the time.

“We have already gained a commitment from cruise companies for no additional bookings”

However, a complete halt to cruise ships in Coles Bay could take two seasons because cruise companies already had forward bookings to the location when the agreement was reached.

This means large cruise ships may continue entering Wineglass Bay into early 2020, and about six are still expected over this summer and next.

A spokesperson for the government said some operators would act sooner.

“Earlier this year we gained a commitment from cruise companies for no additional bookings in Wineglass Bay and the agreement will therefore come into effect at the end of the next cruise season,” the spokesperson said.

“However some operators have already announced they will honour the agreement as early as next year.”

The cruise ship Diamond Princess in Wineglass Bay in 2015. Picture: STEPHEN LAIRD

Mr Martin said cruise ships needed to be managed. “We need to be smarter and more strategic about how and when we host them.”

East Coast Tourism chief executive officer Ruth Dowty said the community wanted an end to cruise ship visits in Wineglass Bay, although she understood it would take a while for the practice to wind down.

“There’s still a few trips scheduled into Wineglass Bay but it’s tapering off,” she said.

Tourism Tasmania’s latest “Cruise Ship Market Update”, released in October, says the latest review of ports found Wineglass Bay is “unsuitable for cruise ship visits because of the impact on Freycinet National Park and its visitors”.

“There is a persistent perception of direct impact from cruise ships on the seabed and marine environment, and on the national park due to noise and fuel emissions, and on the visual impact on visitor amenity and the brand,” the report says.

It says cruise ships have been visiting Wineglass Bay for many years, but the 2017-18 season had been the busiest with eight visits.

During this season there are only two bookings into Wineglass Bay, both by Princess Cruises, and five more are booked for the 2019-20 season.

The latest visit to Coles Bay, on December 18, was by the Golden Princess. It was carrying 2590 passengers and 1116 crew, according to the state’s cruise ship schedule.

Mr Sullivan said he would like to see the Wineglass Bay visits stop sooner than 2020.

“It should stop now,” he said. “People trek up to the Wineglass Bay lookout and expect to see pristine conditions,” he said.

He said the huge vessels also hurt the environment. “Propellers churn up the seabed and that lovely clear water gets turned milky. It spoils the whole pristine nature of it”.

Coles Bay photographer Kip Nunn said he walked up the Saddle at Coles Bay on the day the Golden Princess stopped there.

He said the vessel, which he photographed, was there for only about 20 minutes. But the sight of it spoiled the view for the many tourists there.

“I think there should be an unencumbered view — you don’t want a big boat in there, it takes away the dream people come to see,” he said..