The high cost of taking large rigs across to Tasmania from the mainland, as well as limited availability during peak times, continues to be a major gripe for grey nomads.
Even caravanners and motohomers who love the Apple Isle and all of its wondrous attractions commonly say they will never go back due to the limitations of the Spirit of Tasmania service.
While it doesn’t appear that an easy answer is sailing over the horizon any time soon, there are those who say the eventual solution could be a modern, large-capacity, high-speed vessel that will open up market competition, drive efficiencies, and provide much needed additional carrying capacity over Bass Strait.
Writing in the Mercury newspaper, Richard Lowrie from Incat – a Tassie-based manufacturer of high-speed catamarans – says such a vessel could sail direct between Burnie and Victoria in less than five hours.
“A large high-speed vessel will supplement and complement existing TT-Line services by providing an alternative, quicker transport link for tourists with their caravans and motorhomes,” he said. “It will provide the fastest crossing of any vessel on Bass Strait and deliver significant cost-benefit efficiencies over the other passenger vessels.”
He argues that proven vessel design and technology would ensure a safe and simple operation and a flexible design configuration would enable a craft to carry a diverse mix, including cars, caravans, motorhomes, trucks, containers and passengers.
Travellers, he said in his Mercury column, would have the option of arriving during the day at half the travel time, and the daytime service would avoid the need for night travel or long day trips.
“Providing a daily return operation to alternative base ports in Tasmania and Victoria, high use of the vessel translates into more sailing hours, more access and more efficiency,” Mr Lowrie said. “One vessel alone can easily transport up to 500,000 additional tourists, 250,000 extra vehicles or more than 500,000 tonnes of freight a year between Tasmania and the mainland.”
Of course, there may be some scepticism in some quarters given that the Devil Cat, a previous high speed ferry service across the Bass Strait was often cancelled during storms and heavy seas and earned the unenviable nickname of ‘spewcat’ during its brief working life in Australia.
However, Mr Lowrie told Mercury readers that the technology and size of Incat boats had grown and developed significantly over the subsequent decades.
“Since that first Incat craft there have been another 48 larger high-speed vessels delivered by Incat to operators worldwide,” he said. “Incat has provided different options for larger freight vessels for Bass Strait but even our current production design — the Incat 109m vessel — is a much bigger vessel than the first.”
Mr Lowrie says previous Bass Strait funding schemes were intended to reduce high transport costs and bring the cost of vehicle and freight travel across Bass Strait into line with the equivalent cost of travel on any interstate highway … but that simply hasn’t happened.
“Bass Strait continues to be one of the most expensive stretches of water to cross for passengers, vehicles and freight in the world,” he said. “If Tasmania is to increase tourists by 50% by 2020, major initiatives and infrastructure investments are required … access needs to be easier and more affordable.”
The cost of transport for passengers and the availability of spaces for caravans is a major disincentive for living here. If I lived on the mainland I could just pack and go as I please
why did the last lot close up shop then, i was very fast and sailed out of Welshpool. the ramps are still in that location as of last year
I know we would definitely use this service with car and van, It would be great to include Flinders as well, also every now and then in turn head to Adelaide or Sydney as an alternative to Melbourne…
I think that a longer vessel designed to span the bass strait swells would be very successful. Should be operated by other than TT Line to allow competition on the run.