Derwent Ferry: The Mercury’s Big Issues survey finds overwhelming majority of readers back expansion of service

The government’s proposal to expand the popular Derwent Ferry service appears to have captured the imagination of the public, with an overwhelming majority of Tasmanians backing the plan to build a network of terminals on the river.

Derwent Ferry arrives at Bellerive. Picture: Chris Kidd

The proposed expansion of the Derwent Ferry service appears to have won overwhelming public support as the state government seeks feedback on its plan to create a network of terminals on the river.

The Mercury’s annual Big Issues survey gives readers the opportunity to share their thoughts on a broad range of topics, including politics, climate change, public transport, and the state’s health system.

Asked whether they supported the expansion of the ferry service on the Derwent River, a massive 95.45 per cent of the 2347 respondents answered ‘yes’.

The Tasmanian government began a trial of the service in August 2021, transporting passengers between Brooke St Pier on Hobart’s waterfront and Bellerive Pier on the Eastern Shore.

Derwent Ferry arrives on the Eastern Shore. Picture: Richard Jupe

Fifteen sailings occur every weekday and 14 run on weekends, with a one-way trip taking 15 minutes.

The ferry proved so popular that the government extended the trial into a second year and committed $19m over four years to deliver an ongoing service and build the required supporting infrastructure.

The federal government has also pledged $20m for a new network of floating jetties and ferry terminals on the river, after more than 250,000 people used the trial service in the two years to August 2023.

The draft River Derwent Ferry Service Masterplan has proposed to build new terminals at Regatta Point, Sandy Bay, Wilkinsons Point, Howrah Point, Lindisfarne and Kingston Beach. Public consultation on the draft plan closes on Monday.

It’s hoped an expanded service on the Derwent can help reduce traffic congestion in the city, which is notoriously car-dependent, by providing an attractive alternative for travelling around Greater Hobart.

Transport economist John Livermore, a fellow of the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport, said the ferry service was “long overdue” but there was a lack of modelling to show that it would address traffic congestion problems.

Transport economist John Livermore. Picture: Eddie Safarik

“Will this actually take cars off the road? My answer is, I’d like to see the modelling,” he said.

“My feeling is that it would. At the moment, I doubt the experiment that was carried out took many cars off the road at all. It was all pedestrians [using the ferry], all foot traffic and cyclists.”

Mr Livermore said the expanded service needed to be integrated with the Metro Tasmania network, connecting to bus stops. He suggested that Metro could oversee the ferry service but lease the operations to a private company.

“You could feed people from the ferries into the Metro system,” he said.

Ferries operated on the Derwent prior to the construction of the old Hobart Bridge in the early 1940s, and also played a significant role in keeping commuters moving after the Tasman Bridge collapsed in 1975, thanks to services running from Lindisfarne and Bellerive to the city centre until the bridge was rebuilt.