By Luke Voogt
Portarlington’s ferry is likely to return in November for the tourist season, according to a local campaigner.
Port Phillip Ferries released a statement this week saying the service’s trial period would end on Friday so the company could conduct maintenance on the ferry.
The company would make further announcements on the return of the service during the maintenance period, it said.
But Bellarine Ferry Group’s John Rae said the maintenance would take between three to four weeks.
“That depends on what they find. They’re doing it at this time so the peak tourism time won’t be impacted.”
Mr Rae said the ferry had significant support among Bellarine Peninsula residents.
“I’m getting lots of phone calls from people panicking and thinking it won’t go back in the water.”
The service had “grown and grown” during the trial, Mr Rae said.
He expected its patronage to increase greatly during summer.
Bellarine Ferry Group would conduct a letter drop supporting the service in the coming months, Mr Rae said.
“We’d planned to do a bulk letter drop a month ago. That got pulled because we knew there was a major service coming up.”
Negotiations between Port Phillip Ferries and maritime authorities would help make the ferry “even more attractive” as a commuter service, Mr Rae said.
The company was holding discussions with authorities to increase the ferry’s speed during its last leg, cutting 15 minutes from the trip, he revealed.
“It’s always better if you can do it quicker,” he said.
The 88-minute ferry was already competitive with rail for Bellarine residents, who had to drive at least 20 minutes for the one-hour Melbourne train from Geelong, Mr Rae said.
“When you add all that up I think (the train) is close to the same time or longer.”
The ferry was vital option for the “public-transport-poor” peninsula, Mr Rae said.
