Jardine River ferry breaks down again, and many are not happy about it
Hundreds of travellers have been forced to camp on the track after the fourth failure of one of Australia’s most expensive ferries in three weeks and many are not happy about it.
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Hundreds of travellers have been forced to camp on the track after the fourth failure of one of Australia’s most expensive ferries in three weeks and many are not happy about it.
The ferry was back in action on Friday morning after “unforeseen mechanical issues” shut down the only route in and out the Northern Peninsula Area on Thursday.
The latest ferry fail follows highly criticised four week’s worth of ferry hull maintenance in April and May ordered by the Australian Maritime Safety Authority.
Just 10 days after the barge was back in the water a 40 tonne weight limit was applied and the ferry broke down again on June 5-7 when a 20 tonne weight limit was imposed.
The ramshackle old ferry was out of action again on June 11 and the latest mechanical failure came on June 26.
Lines of traffic on the southside of the river approach stretched for between 1.5 and 2km and while some viewed the hold up a novelty that comes with remote bush travel others such as Julie Jenkins from South Australia didn’t.
“We are definitely not happy about it, it’s the most expensive and the most unreliable ferry in Australia,” she said.
Having stayed at Punsand Bay and taken their bucket-list photo at Pajinka, Julie Jenkins and her partner Craig Harris were heading south when the ferry broke down.
They said many without water or camping equipment had to turn around and head back into Bamaga and on the southern bank some retreated to Bramwell Junction Roadhouse, but most stayed and set up camp for the night.
“A lot of campers do not have toilets and there are none on the north side of the river,” she said.
“There’s one near the ferry, but a truckie said it does not work and you need a gas mask to even attempt to use it.”
Cape York tour operators and Northern Peninsula Area businesses have previously described poorly timed ferry maintenance and the unreliable service as a financial disaster in lost revenue.
The area is now facing reputational damage.
“I don’t think we’ll be promoting the area to other people until they have a decent ferry,” Ms Jenkins said.
“It costs $250 to use the ferry and you are only on it for two minutes, they need to build a bridge and do a toll.
“The trucks pay a ridiculous amount of money and where is all the money going, they don’t even have a workshop with spare parts, I think it’s just crazy, where is the spare parts workshop?
“Someone has to do something and there’s a real argy bargy over who owns it and there are no real answers coming.”
In 2023 it cost $121 to cross the Jardine which increased to $130 in 2024 and this year Northern Peninsula Area Regional Council hiked the price 23 per cent to $160 per car or $250 for vehicles with a trailer or caravan.
In a conservative estimate, the council collected up to $2.6m last year, assuming each car is carrying three people based on a 2024 visitation rate of 60,000 people and a charge of $130 per car.
There’s been a flood of angry comments as tempers on social media wear thin and Facebook ferry updates by council now have comments turned off.
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Originally published as Jardine River ferry breaks down again, and many are not happy about it
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