Port Arthur on to ashore thing with new jetty facility for cruise ships

HOBART tourism businesses are expected to be the real beneficiaries of a new tender jetty for cruise ship passengers at Port Arthur.

The penitentiary building at the Port Arthur Historic Site. Picture: Supplied

HOBART tourism businesses are expected to be the real beneficiaries of a new tender jetty for cruise ship passengers at Port Arthur.

The $270,000 jetty upgrade will see up to four more cruise ships stop at the historic site each year, with about 2000 passengers aboard each ship.

While it’s expected to deliver a boost in visitor numbers, spokesman Andrew Ross said southern Tasmanian tourism operators also would benefit.

He said stopping at Port Arthur meant cruise ships stayed in Tasmania for an extra day and passengers coming ashore at Hobart could spend the day at other tourist attractions instead of travelling to the Tasman Peninsula.

The old chapel at the Port Arthur historic site.

Mr Ross said up to 10 coach loads of cruise passengers visited Port Arthur Historic Site each time a ship docked in Hobart.

“[Cruise passengers] will have already been to Port Arthur so when they dock in Hobart they can go to MONA or down the Huon or do something else instead,” he said.

The jetty extension was jointly funded by the Port Arthur Historic Site and a Federal Government regional tourism grant. Mr Ross said eight cruise ships visited the site last year.

The new extension would eliminate a bottleneck at the jetty for tender boats, making it easier for passengers to get ashore.

He said up to 12 cruise ships were expected to visit the site next year as a result of the extension. Some cruise ships carried up to 2700 people.

Destination Southern Tasmania chief executive Ben Targett said the new jetty created a more “visitor-friendly experience”, making it more appealing to cruise operators.

“The more ships that choose to include Port Arthur on their itinerary the better, because it frees up more time when visitors come ashore in Hobart,” Mr Targett said.

“It should mean more tours end up going to places like the Derwent Valley, Huon Valley and the Midlands.”

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