Spirit of Tasmania dock to move from Port Melbourne to Geelong
UPDATED: The new Spirit of Tasmania terminal to be built in Geelong will have a cafe, children’s play area and pet exercise space. SEE THE PICTURES
Tasmania
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The Spirit of Tasmania will soon have a new home
On Thursday, TT-Line chairman Michael Grainger announced the company would be shifting its Victorian base from Port Melbourne’s Station Pier to Corio Quay, north of Geelong.
“Station Pier has been a very, very good home to us over the years but, quite frankly, we’ve just outgrown it,” he said.
“We believe that our capacity constraints are pretty serious there.”
The new 12-hectare dedicated facility will have a dedicated passenger terminal building, a passenger vehicle marshalling area for 600 cars, a more efficient passenger vehicle check-in, security facilities, a cafe, children’s play area, and a pet exercise area.
Mr Grainger said significant congestion in the Port Melbourne area often negatively impacted the service, with the new terminal able to streamline the entry and exit of passengers and freight.
Work on the new facility will begin immediately, and is expected to be up and running by November 2022.
No staffing or price changes are expected, and Mr Grainger said the move would be paid for by Victoria.
Transport Minister Michael Ferguson said the new port would ensure the service had a bright future and room to grow.
“Our tourism industry is hurting right now, but it is important we are ready to welcome visitors back to Tasmania in the future, post COVID-19,” he said.
“The new port also provides an excellent financial outcome for TT-Line and its customers, where TT-Line would otherwise have seen significant cost increases at Station Pier, which would have been passed onto freight customers and passengers, without the fit-for-purpose and future-proof facility that the new port offers.”
Opposition Transport spokesman Shane Broad said changing the ferry berth was a major decision that would have serious implications for the state’s tourism and freight.
“Decisions relating to the operations of the Spirit of Tasmania service have been shrouded in secrecy and uncertainty for months, and Tasmanians deserve more transparency from the government on the matter,” he said.
Tasmanian Chamber of Commerce and Industry chief Michael Bailey said there might be advantages to the move, however, the decision needed to be based on more than TT-Line’s bottom line, given the importance of the Spirit to the broader economy.
“I know that a number of TCCI members believe that it will be more effective, both in terms of cost and freight logistics, to berth at Geelong and we will monitor this closely to ensure the benefits are realised,” he said.
Mr Grainger said it was great to look ahead to a positive future: “We’ll have new ships, we’ll have a new port, and we’ll have a much, much bigger, better company going forward,” he said.
POSITIVE MOVE FOR TOURISM
THE SPIRIT of Tasmania’s move to Geelong is expected to be a positive for Tasmanian tourism, says TT-Line chairman Michael Grainger.
Mr Grainger said the new port base would lead to increased passenger growth from NSW, South Australia and regional Victoria.
“Once we get over the COVID-19 issue, I think the demand will be very, very high,” he said.
Tourism Industry Council Tasmania chief executive Luke Martin said it was a historic decision for the state’s tourism industry and economy.
‘The reality is we’re getting ships designed to meet Tasmania’s capacity needs towards 2050, and Station Pier is, at best, 1950s infrastructure,” he said.
“It is going to be much more accessible to visitors from regional Victoria, NSW and South Australia.”
The Caravan Industry Association of Australia said it was a win for regional tourism.
Chief executive Stuart Lamont said it was a “game- changer moment” for the Tasmanian tourism industry.
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