Alarm as Manly Loses Its Ferry Fleet Just as Sydney Comes out of Lockdown

MUA

Alarm as Manly Loses Its Ferry Fleet

Just as Sydney Comes out of Lockdown

In a last-ditch effort, supporters of the Save The Manly Ferries group will be on board the last trip of the Queenscliff ferry this Wednesday (13th October) at 1.40pm from Manly to Circular Quay as the NSW Government retires the vessel from service.

Protestors will gather outside the wharf at 1.15pm.

According to Cr Candy Bingham, Deputy Mayor of the Northern Beaches Council it’s the latest blow to Manly’s struggling tourist economy, with the NSW Government retiring another iconic large Manly Ferry, reducing the fleet from four to two large ferries in service on this world-famous route.

Only the Freshwater & Collaroy remain, with the Narrabeen already out of service as its engines require an overhaul, and there is no commitment to carry out this routine service.

“Just when we are coming out of lockdown and Manly is expected to be swamped with visitors at long last, the NSW Government is reducing ferry capacity with the smaller, faster “Emerald Class” replacements which are not even ready for service yet”, an exasperated Candy Bingham explained.

“The community is calling on the new Minister for Transport, Rob Stokes, to sort out this mess. Sydney deserves better!” she added.

The Government’s plan is that two large ferries will operate on weekends and public holidays only, every hour, along with small fast ferries. Only the small ferries will operate during the week. However, the replacement ferries are not in service yet, due to multiple defects. There are also concerns by retired marine engineers that the new small ferries may not be suitable for the crossing between The Heads on rough days.

“Before COVID lockdowns the heritage Freshwater Class ferries carried 4 million passengers in 2019 and yet Manly’s famous ferry fleet is being reduced to a shadow of its former glory.

“These Ferries, along with the Harbour Bridge and Opera House, are icons of Sydney Harbour. Just as London is famous for its red double-decker buses and San Francisco its cable cars,” Cr Bingham added.

A parliamentary petition with over 20,000 signatures was tabled in February calling for the decision to scrap the Freshwater class ferries to be reversed.

The community is calling for these heritage ferries to be kept in service until a proper replacement plan is implemented, with Australian-built clean-energy large double-ended ferries.

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/Public Release.