By LUKE VOOGT
Daily commuter ferries began running between Portarlington and Melbourne on Thursday after the success of trial runs across Port Phillip.
Port Phillip Ferries carried more than 900 passengers on the three trials before introducing the trial commuter services this week.
Bellarine Ferry Group’s John Rae described the patronage as a fabulous result.
“It’s given Port Phillip Ferries the confidence to bring it down here.”
The group hoped to help the ferry continue running until summer so it could tap into the local tourist season, Mr Rae said.
“I think there will be ferries full of people coming to Portarlington to explore the Bellarine.
“One of the keys is bringing people back from Melbourne to enjoy our beaut beaches, restaurants, wineries and everything else.”
Mr Rae said the ferry could bring business to the Bellarine Peninsula and even alleviate some of its summer parking woes.
The ferry could also provide opportunities for winter tourism such as golf and winery tours, he said.
“We’ve got fabulous golf courses down here.”
Mr Rae said “public transport-starved” residents on the peninsula needed the ferry.
“Here’s a chance to go direct to Melbourne and not sit in a traffic jam or on a crowded train.”
The ferry group would send timetables to 22,000 homes on the peninsula to encouraging local support for the service, Mr Rae said.
“We’re now looking at the future.”
The ferry departs from Portarlington at 7am weekdays and from Melbourne on 5.30pm Monday to Thursday, with other daily trips also available.
The ferry will run until at least the end of August after the company extended an initial eight-week trial and updated its website on Wednesday to accept bookings.
Port Phillip Ferries chief Peter Rance said the service could continue until summer
“If the community get behind us and support us to an extent that we can see there is a future we will take that into account.”
The service would need to attract 200 to 250 passengers a day to be viable, Mr Rance said.
Numbers for the 7am service were difficult to predict because commuters were less likely to book in advance, he said.
“I wouldn’t expect to be in a large volume in the first couple of days. We expect it to build over the coming weeks.”
Port Phillip Ferries has been in discussion with the State Government about the future of the service.
