Northern NSW set to steal cruise traffic with terminal plans

Thief steal piggy bank.
By Hannah Edensor


Forget Garden Island or Botany Bay, the north coast of NSW could be prepping for its own new cruise terminal.

According to the ABC, the NSW Government is looking into the possibility of a cruise ship terminal being built at Coffs Harbour of Yamba.

It comes in the wake of news that a terminal at Garden Island could be “doable” by 2022, while another advocate suggested double-stacking at the Overseas Passenger Terminal as the answer, despite major cruise lines rejecting the idea.

Per ABC, the Transport and Infrastructure Minister Andrew Constance revealed news of a “feasibility study” that will investigate the potential for a terminal, adding the Government’s future transport blueprint did in fact have plans to expand the NSW cruise industry.

“There’s no doubt the experience in my electorate of Eden on the far south coast has been incredible for those local communities,” Constance said in Coffs Harbour, per ABC.

“Here on the mid north coast there is a wonderful tourist offering to entice people to enjoy the benefits of cruise ships. We will now look at the infrastructure opportunities and do the necessary assessment in relation to what would be required.

This is obviously going to be a major investment moving forward, but we want to do our homework first.”

The Australian cruise industry is one heck of a money-maker, worth over $5 billion, with cruise ship visit days jumping 19 per cent to 1401 over the 2016/17 season.

And as far as stopovers go in financial terms, a recent surprise visit from Carnival Spirit in Mooloolaba on the Sunshine Coast pumped an estimated $250,000 injection into the economy. That’s a lotta cash for a day-trip.

“There is no doubt there is a need for cruise ships to come to the mid north coast,” Constance said, per the ABC.

“We want to capitalise on that growth for regional people and that’s why we’re here today.

“I think the demand that passengers have to come into ports, be it Coffs, Eden, Yamba, even Newcastle, shows there’s a real opportunity here and we should explore it.”

 

According to the ABC reports, the harbour in Coffs Harbour is prone to siltation, meaning it’s unlikely cruise ships would enter and moor at the heritage-listed timber jetty.

Meanwhile, the Government has invested in a commercial wharf extension in Eden, giving 300-metre vessels a place to park when they visit. Currently, though, passengers are ferried to shore when stopping off here.

Per the ABC, Coffs Harbour MP Andrew Fraser said that if Coffs scored a nod to build the newest cruise terminal, passengers would initially need to be tendered to shore. A cruise terminal could be as far as 10 years away in the realistic scheme of things, but boy would it spruce things up for the local economy.

“Coffs Harbour has all the obvious attributes. It has a great harbour, a safe harbour, and an airport with the capacity to take 767 jets,” Fraser told the ABC.

“It also has customs and immigration. We can fly visitors in and out of here, so they could cruise in and fly out. You could triangulate cruises between Cairns, Brisbane and Coffs, or Sydney, Coffs and Brisbane.

“It just ticks every box in my book.”

Latest News

  • Destinations
  • News

APT Launches 2025 Asia Adventures

APT has launched its Asia Adventures for 2025, including new luxury holidays in India, Sri Lanka and Japan. Five new tours lead guests to the highlights of India, including a seven-night cruise along the rarely travelled Lower Ganges aboard the Ganges Voyager. Further south, Sri Lanka’s greatest destinations are revealed on a new 15-day Land […]

  • Cruise
  • Luxury
  • News

Seabourn announces Western Kimberley Traditional Owners as Godparents of Seabourn Pursuit

Seabourn has named Western Kimberley Traditional Owners, the Wunambal Gaambera, as Godparents of the ultra-luxury purpose-built Seabourn Pursuit. It is the first cruise line to appoint Traditional Owners as godparents of a ship. Seabourn Pursuit embarks on its inaugural season in the Kimberley region this June. The naming ceremony will take place on Seabourn Pursuit’s […]

  • Luxury

Malolo Island Resort opens brand new Spa

Fiji’s Malolo Island has added another string to its bow – opening its $1.3 million day spa on Thursday, 18th April 2024. (Lead Image: matriarch Rosie Whitton with spa staff) Located at the edge of the resort’s luscious patch of tropical rainforest, the new “Leilani’s Spa” adds another level of elevated experiences to Malolo’s already […]