by Luke Voogt
An add-on docking facility could reverse the decline in cruise ships visiting Geelong, according to Australia’s industry body.
Australian Cruise Association’s Jill Abel backed a long-touted plan to add ‘dolphin’ buoys to Cunningham Pier as 130 delegates converged on Geelong for the group’s annual conference.
“We support the dolphin option,” the association’s chief executive officer said on Wednesday.
“There are no docking facilities. Geelong, like all regional destinations, needs to have the discussion around the economic return for building those facilities.”
The conference comes with only one cruise ship scheduled to dock in Geelong for 2019/2020, compared to nine in 2014.
Victoria’s cruise shipping schedule shows just one additional ship to dock in Geelong for the next four years.
Last year the 2000-passenger Norwegian Jewel cancelled its Geelong visit to dock in Portarlington instead.
In May the Indy reported allegations elderly and disabled passengers were reluctant to board tender boats ferrying passengers ashore when Viking Sun docked in Geelong this March.
Then Geelong and Bellarine Tourism boss Roger Grant admitted cruise bookings were low and re-floated extending Cunningham Pier with dolphin buoys to attract more ships.
Cunningham Pier’s owners, Costa Property Group, have spruiked the idea of a public-private partnership to install the buoys since 2014.
But critics, in particular former mayor Darryn Lyons, have slammed the plan as “lacking vision” and have instead called for a new purpose-built pier.
A 2011 report by municipal alliance G21 said a purpose-built pier could attract up 25 ships per year, pumping $25 million into the local economy.
While supporting the dolphins, Ms Abel refused to state whether they were a better option than a new pier.
“It’s not my place to recommend what is best,” she said.
Shipping channels limited the size of ships that could dock in Geelong regardless of infrastructure, Ms Abel said.
“It will never be a turnaround port. Geelong will always be one of those destinations that will work if Melbourne doesn’t.”
A destination’s onshore attractions were a greater driving factor for cruise ship companies than docking infrastructure, Ms Abel said.
“Cruise ships tender all over the world and they wouldn’t do it if didn’t work. Geelong has an awful lot to offer on shore (and) the waterfront is extremely inviting.”
The three-day conference “exposed” industry representatives to “swimming with dolphins”, vineyards and other local attractions, Ms Abel said.
Geelong had potential to grow as a cruise destination with the industry on the rise in Victoria, she said.
About 130 ships are scheduled to dock in Victoria in 2019/2020, including one in Geelong.
