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Car ferry a goer: study

16/2/2018

11 Comments

 
A concept sketch of the proposed car ferry terminal and pier between the Cowes Yacht Club and Mussel Rocks.A concept sketch of the proposed car ferry terminal and pier.
By Catherine Watson
 
A STRETCH of beachfront between Mussel Rocks and the Cowes Yacht Club is the preferred site for a terminal and pier for a car ferry connecting Phillip Island with the Mornington Peninsula.

The site is recommended in a business case, commissioned by the Bass Coast and Mornington Peninsula councils to determine the cost, requirements and viability of a vehicle and passenger ferry service between the peninsula and Phillip Island.
 
The Cowes to Stony Point car ferry business case, which was released to the public this afternoon, assesses the project as having a benefit cost ratio of 1.67 over 30 years, making it a very viable option.
 
Concept sketches show a 205-metre jetty to reach deep water. It would be 12 metres wide, with two lanes for traffic, a pedestrian walkway and a safety lane.
 
It is built on pylons at the beach end so pedestrians can walk under it. The terminal has a ticket office, an administration office, a bus marshalling area and a small car park.  Vehicles embarking on the ferry would queue on the jetty.
 
At a media briefing, the lead author of the report, Mark Olsen, stressed that this was a business case report, not a project design, so this is not necessarily how the jetty and terminal will look if they proceed.
 
But he said that, as a result of community feedback, a number of things were taken as a given: no dredging of the channel for the ferry to approach or dock; no loading or unloading of vehicles at the current Cowes jetty; and the new jetty should not impede access along the beach.
 
The ferry is an essential component of the State Government’s proposal to create an iconic touring route linking the Great Ocean Road, Mornington Peninsula, Phillip Island and Wilsons Promontory, four of the state’s most popular tourist destinations.
 
The authors of the report write: “This 333-kilometre touring route would … be comparable to world-class vehicle touring experiences such as the Coastal Circuit Route in British Columbia (564 kilometres and two ferries) and the Wild Atlantic Way in Ireland (2500 kilometres and a single ferry).”
 
While there was overwhelming support for a car ferry among Mornington Peninsula residents (87 per cent), it was much lower in Bass Coast (66 per cent), with concerns expressed around environmental impacts, traffic congestion and the location of the terminal in Cowes.
 
Mr Olsen said the business case addressed questions of cost, benefits and social and environmental impacts of a ferry.  “We’ve been debating these questions since the last car ferry went under 30 years ago.”
 
The study, which was largely funded by the State Government, estimated the capital cost of establishing the infrastructure (principally the jetty and terminal on Phillip Island) at $63 million (net present value).
 
The economic impact to the two regions was estimated at up to $93 million over 30 years (based on an estimated $8 million a year in tourist spending), plus $12.3 million from savings on vehicle use.
 
The estimates are based on 10 sailings a day between Stony Point and Cowes (five each way) expanding to 14 a day during peak holiday times, and a 10 per cent allowance for cancellations due to unsuitable weather.
 
For the purposes of the business case, the researchers assumed a ferry with capacity for 300 passengers, 30 private vehicles and two coaches or articulated trucks.
 
The report states that a direct link between the peninsula and Phillip island would enable tourists to visit both and stay longer. It estimates an extra 138-172 direct and indirect jobs would be created in the first year, growing to 353 jobs in the 30th year.
 
Improved connectivity with the mainland would also offer social and economic benefits to residents of the island and an alternative route off the island in the event of an emergency. 
Picture
A plan showing the proposed terminal and pier. The current Cowes jetty is on the right.
Mr Olsen said the researchers considered four options for a car ferry service:
  1. From Stony Point to Cowes, with the Cowes terminal and pier being developed on the current site of the Cowes Yacht Club
  2. From Stony Point via Tankerton (French island) to Cowes, with the Cowes terminal and pier being developed on the current site of the Cowes Yacht Club
  3. From Stony Point to Cowes, with passengers dis/embarking at the current Cowes jetty and vehicles dis/embarking at a site adjacent to the Anderson Boat Ramp;
  4. From Stony Point to Cowes, with a jetty and terminal immediately west of Mussel Rocks.
​
A bridge from Stony Point to Cowes was discounted due to the distance (eight kilometres), environmental impact and cost.
 
Each option was assessed for planning, environmental, social, traffic and economic impacts.
 
Advantages of the preferred site:
  • There is no need to relocate the Cowes Yacht Club.
  • It requires a shorter jetty than other options.
  • It’s the closest to Cowes town centre for pedestrians.
  • It does not require residential land acquisitions.
  • It has several traffic flow options for access to and from the site.
  • Traffic queueing on the jetty removes the need for significant on land parking.
 
A number of issues still have to be clarified. They include the impact on residents adjacent to the site, both during construction and when it is operational; local access to the jetty, eg. for fishing; and how a new car ferry service would integrate with the current passenger service between Stony Point, Cowes and French Island.
 
The report will now go out for public comment. Both councils must endorse it before it goes back to the State Government, which will decide whether to proceed with the project. If it does, the Government may build the port infrastructure itself or do it as a public private partnership with a ferry operator.
 
Information sessions will be held at the Mussel Rocks site from 10am-4pm on March 11-13 and 19-20. ​
11 Comments
Robbie Viglietti
16/2/2018 05:52:08 pm

Finally the experts have confirmed what most rational, clear-headed people have known all along; that a Cowes to Stony Point vehicular ferry IS economically viable and will be a invaluable tourism asset as well as providing a critical piece of emergency infrastructure. The environment will not be destroyed, penguins will not abandon their burrows and the sun will still rise tommorrow. Hopefully now the ill-informed, misguided and emotive rantings of a NIMBY minority can now be pushed aside and the Government can get on with building this much needed facility.

Reply
Bob
16/2/2018 06:30:01 pm

The only ranting I hear is from the lobby who keep coming up with spurious benefits like "emergency infrastructure" without being able to actually come up with an actual scenario where it would significantly help.

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Phil
25/3/2018 01:51:59 pm

By my reckoning it would take up to 2 hours to remove 30 cars from the congested roads of PI and return for another load. With possibly 5000 vehicles being caught if the exit was blocked how many hours would it take to clear the jam? I would certainly like to see the figures on cost of passage plus numbers involved versus the all up costs that would be involved to bring this to fruition without taxpayers or ratepayers funds. Phillip Island roads cannot fit any more cars at peak times so why do we need a CAR ferry? Passengers yes cars no.

Leigh
16/2/2018 06:57:49 pm

Lies, damm lies, and statistics
All you need to make it look like everything is Rosy.
Destruction of a very popular family beach will most definitely attract thousands of tourists every day "NOT"
Is this being put up by the PoHDA supporters to destroy the northern beaches so Cowes will become an industrial eyesore so there favourite container port can be built.

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Not Convinced.
16/2/2018 06:09:37 pm

I'm not sure about those other "famous" coastal drives but at the moment you can get from Sorrento to Phillip Island by driving down either the scenic east or west sides of Mornington Peninsula then up the Bass Highway through the Waterline. This is already a scenic route. Why would you need a quicker route to get to PI if people are touring and don't need to save a couple of extra hours? The idea that PI is a dead end is easily disputed, just look at the Xmas-Oz Day tailback from the bridge to Bass Highway turnoff aka "the worlds most scenic traffic jam" (now there's a tourist angle for you). And a few rubbery finance figures do nothing more to convince me. I've worked in investment banking I know how these things work.

Reply
Bernie
16/2/2018 06:25:44 pm

Car ferry a goner - at $63M for Cowes jetty, how much for Stony Point? Then Q
1 ferry or 2 at $20M or so? Discard the $12.3M savings on vehicle use, $15 petrol offset by +$90 ferry fare.

Why do we need mas exit for pedestrians? Are they inviting ISIS germ warfare or what?

How much more time and effort must we all waste on this nonsense?

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Fossie32
16/2/2018 07:33:05 pm

$63 mill - it would have cost $2 mill to keep Warley hospital open

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Jen
16/2/2018 09:29:19 pm

How many tourists will use it considering that hire cars are not allowed to go on ferries?

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Glen Isla
21/2/2018 03:13:53 pm

A Goer? I think not. The best alternative to this folly is to widen the bridge and provide a bi-pass around Sam Remo. On long weekends, the time to Melbourne increase by 1 hour each way in bumper to bumper traffic. This does not attract tourists. Fix the bottle necks along Bass Highway, provide a proper road in and out of Cowes. The existing situation is intolerable. Want to create jobs? Open the Warley Hospital. 60,000 people in peak times and no hospital? RIDICULOUS MR ANDREWS.

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Phil Bagley
6/4/2018 01:44:38 pm

Let those who think this is a viable service float a company and develop the service without government or ratepayers funds then we will see how viable it is.

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Bernie McComb
6/4/2018 01:45:31 pm

It will be even more ridiculous than desal plant for finance, untouchable unless 110% guaranteed by taxpayer, also carrying full liability for any incident. Operating profitability will also need to be guaranteed for a decade or 3 with full compensation like $80M seal rocks payout.

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