Ash Bolt
GeelongPort’s Corio Quay precinct will be a hive of activity over the coming months as contractors begin major works on the Spirit of Tasmania’s passenger and freight terminal project, ahead of the ferry’s move to Geelong.
The $135 million state-of-the-art passenger and freight terminal precinct will see berth infrastructure, including a world-first three-level boarding ramp for cars, caravans and trucks to board simultaneously, a terminal building and a marshalling area to cater for 600 cars, built over the next 12 months.
Spirit of Tasmania operator TT-Line announced its plans in April 2020 to move from its Port Melbourne home to Corio Quay in the second half of 2022.
Fitzgerald Contractors has been doing demolition work on the existing structure and will continue the marine works needed to expand the wharf and berthing facilities, while BMD Constructions has been appointed to deliver the landside civil construction and Kane Constructions will build the new terminal building.
GeelongPort chief executive Brett Winter said it was pleasing to see the project reaching milestones.
“We are very excited to be reaching this major milestone with the appointment of these experienced contractors who have also delivered some iconic projects across the region over the years,” he said.
“I am also proud to say that we have been working with them to ensure the project provides value to our region throughout construction with a large portion of goods and services being sourced through local businesses.
“For example, the majority of the piles and all of the complex steel structures for the three-level access ramp are being sourced through Thornton Engineering Australia who are located in Corio.”
Spirit of Tasmania chief executive Bernard Dwyer said it was “fantastic to see the major works beginning on the precinct development”.
“There has been a considerable amount of planning and design work leading up to today,” he said.
“I am looking forward to seeing the development evolve over the next 12 months, so we begin welcoming passengers to Geelong in spring 2022.”
The contractors will be working in parallel to deliver their individual packages of work, with works all contained within the port precinct.
GeelongPort is also working with the state and federal governments to support the necessary road upgrades in time for the facility to open.
