By VICTORIA STONE-MEADOWS
THE company running a trial of a new ferry for commuters travelling between Portarlington and Melbourne has urged locals to support the initiative.
As the Indy reported online on Monday 18 July, the first passenger trial for the new ferry will take place on Friday 29 July.
In a written statement, Port Phillip Ferries said the upcoming passenger trial was a “significant step forward in realising the potential to operate a passenger ferry service out of the Bellarine Peninsula on a regular basis”.
The trial run will depart Portarlington at 10.30am and is expected to arrive at Docklands at noon.
The ferry will be the 35-metre EnviroCat catamaran dubbed the Wyndham Explorer that currently ferries passengers between Werribee and Docklands.
Fares for the inaugural passenger trip on the ferry are $25 return for an adult, $10 for passengers 15-18 years old with children under 15 to travel free.
John Rae from the Bellarine Ferry Group has been working for almost 10 years to bring a ferry to the peninsula.
“We are absolutely delighted,” he said.
“The group is only two of us now, which has been a hard slog, but we have had terrific help and we want to thank Paul Little who has put the ferry on the water and wants to bring ferries to Port Philip Bay.”
Mr Rae said he would like to see many more ferries established in Port Phillip Bay rather than one ferry making many stops along the peninsulas.
“We want many more ferries as the ferry will only cut down the travel time down when it has one stop,” he said,
“It’s not like a train, ferries need to slow right down to load people on and off and stopping holds it up.”
Mr Rae said the establishment of a Portarlington to Melbourne ferry is Great opportunity for ferries across Melbourne and across the bay.
Port Phillip Ferries stated that the popularity of this trial would determine the viability of operating the ferry between Portarlington and Melbourne regularly.
“Please show your support and demonstrate that Portarlington wants a ferry and if one is provided that it will be used,” the statement read.
