The wait could finally be over for grey nomads who have been hanging out to travel to the Apple Isle on board one of the long-awaited new Spirit of Tasmania vessels.
Tickets for sailings aboard the incoming ferries went on sale last year for travel from October 31.
TT-Line’s CEO, Chris Carbone, said the imminent arrival of the Spirit of Tasmania IV and V vessels was an exciting next chapter for Tasmania’s visitor and freight economy.
“The availability of tickets for travel on our new vessels is an important milestone in our vessel and terminal upgrade program,” he said. “It is the start of a carefully planned approach to bring our two new vessels, alongside the new T3 terminal in Devonport into service, by the end of October.”
The new TT-Line boat Spirit of Tasmania IV. PIC: Rauma Marine Constructions
Due to the scale and complexity of the replacement project, tickets for sailings on the new vessels will be released in two stages, with all ship accommodation types, including pet cabins, family cabins and business recliners, expected to be available for sale by May 2026.
Mr Carbone said this was designed to ensure a smooth transition to the new ships, while maintaining the company’s existing reliable service.
Stage 1:
Stage 2 – first half of this year:
Mr Carbone said throughout the transition between the new and current ships, the company’s existing vessels would continue to sail as normal.
“The current sailing schedule between Geelong and Devonport will remain in place,” he said. “More cabins, recliners and vehicle spaces will be added over time as key project milestones are met.”
He said TT-Line would continue to share updates, key dates and supporting information so that passengers can plan with confidence.
The whole Spirit of Tasmain replacement vessels project has been beset by problems and delays, with the last one being issues with berthing arrangements in Devonport.
The new Spirit of Tasmania ships are longer, wider and taller than their predecessors. The new ships will increase the annual passenger capacity on the Bass Strait route by almost 30%, the lane metres for passenger cars and freight by 60%, and the cabin capacity by approximately 35%, while the environmental impact of shipping will be significantly reduced.
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We’ve been to Tassie once, that was enough.
Too many things to see on the big island.
Love Tasmania. Going on the SOT on Tuesday for a 6 week holiday. I don’t care how I get there. As long as they dont hike the ticket prices to make up for their stuff ups!
Love Tasmania….but not planning any future driving trips though, as it’s quite costly with a vehicle. To us, it means having a longer stay there. As 86GTS says, there are many things to see on the mainland. Tassy can be explored in a reasonable amount of time…but, how many times?
I have no doubt the prices will go up, our current government is totally useless and dont understand that increasing fares will turn nomads away. And in that case wont need bigger boats, more money wasted