Wollongong 3rd Cruise Port?

[woodscruise]

The below was reported in Cruise Weekly on Friday 02September 2023 at the CLIA  conference.

 

 

"Port Authority of New South Wales Chief Executive Officer Philip Holliday (pictured) has lent his support to Port Kembla over Garden Island as the site of a third cruise terminal to service greater Sydney. Holliday described Port Kembla as a “really strong option” at yesterday’s Australian Cruise Association Conference, while noting he would be spending “very little time” looking at Garden Island as an option. “The really strong option is Port Kembla, and I think that’s where we need to put our energy and our excitement and drive forward in delivering the business case to make a decision at the earliest opportunity. “That’s the work the Port Authority will be undertaking, and we’ll see where it takes us.” Holliday noted while the discussion about Garden Island excites many within the cruise industry, it is not a realistic possibility “before he leaves this merry Earth”. “It’s important when looking at options to ensure that you have local support as well. “You’ll be aware the New South Wales govenment recently announced, with our full support, that Yarra Bay was off the table as a potential location for the third cruise terminal, and just in case anybody’s wondering, Jervis Bay has never been, and will not be, considered as a location for a cruise terminal. “We know that we have at least the support of Cruise Wollongong, Business Illawarra, and the local member (Paul Scully), who also happens to be the Planning Minister.” Scully joined Wollongong Mayor Gordon Bradbery on Wed night to open the conference, where both men expressed their enthusiasm for cruise, and the region’s suitability for the sector."

[SinbadThePorter]

Didn't Norwegian go there a few times?

 

People complain about White Bay being too far away from the CBD. I can't imagine what they would say about Port Kembla.

 

I think it's about a 2 hour train trip from there to Central Station.

 

But it's very easy to nitpick options and much harder to actually come up with solutions.

 

I think it would be better to look at Port Kembla as a port in its own right rather than as an adjunct to Sydney.

Edited September 1, 2023 by SinbadThePorter

[arxcards]

52 minutes ago, SinbadThePorter said:

Didn't Norwegian go there a few times?

 

People complain about White Bay being too far away from the CBD. I can't imagine what they would say about Port Kembla.

 

I think it's about a 2 hour train trip from there to Central Station.

 

But it's very easy to nitpick options and much harder to actually come up with solutions.

 

I think it would be better to look at Port Kembla as a port in its own right rather than as an adjunct to Sydney.

I agree. Radiance of the Seas was there once, with lots of promise about returning regularly. Hmmm. Ruby Princess also spent some time there 😉

 

Both Port Kembla & Newcastle are viable cruise ports - for the Illawarra & Hunter respectively. Neither are Sydney, which offers one of the best sailaway/sail-ins in the world, as well as easy connection to transport or walking distance to/from world class hotels.

 

Sydney is a hub, and while it is a viable option to get there from Sydney, it becomes less viable for those north and north-west of Sydney. We already spend 2.5hrs on trains to get to Circular Quay, so it would need to be something special to get us to Kembla. We are not alone, as there are lots on the intercity & XPT trains that cruise out of Sydney.

 

A selective number of cruises out of Port Kembla would work, but would be made-up of passengers that can get to the port easily and those looking to try it once to tick another box. Then, does one cruise line win the right, or do they ballot for Circular Quay and you don't know which port you will be getting until well after you book?

 

Fair to say, based on the Port Authority opinions, that Garden Island isn't going to be back on the table. I am not sure the 311 bus would cope anyway. In the meantime the NSW government will continue to pocket the cruise ship passenger tax, you know, the one they imposed to fund White Bay and a 3rd terminal.

Edited September 2, 2023 by arxcards
?

[mr walker]

I suggest the Port Authority needs a new CEO. The person in that position should be working towards the best possible location for the new SYDNEY cruise-port, not the easiest 'option' for him. The process is to choose the best location and then work out how to get it done.

 

How could Port Kembla even be considered for the new terminal? Maybe the NSW Premier has another friend looking for a high paying job who would have a better idea of what is required for the new SYDNEY terminal? First question - is it in Sydney? Answer - No. Action #1 Red Pen. Action #2 Sack the person who came up with the idea. 

 

With this thinking the Sydney Harbour Bridge would have been built over the Murray River as that would have been easier than building it over the harbour. 

 

I despair at the world at times. 

 

[gbenjo]

22 minutes ago, mr walker said:

I suggest the Port Authority needs a new CEO. The person in that position should be working towards the best possible location for the new SYDNEY cruise-port, not the easiest 'option' for him. The process is to choose the best location and then work out how to get it done.

 

How could Port Kembla even be considered for the new terminal? Maybe the NSW Premier has another friend looking for a high paying job who would have a better idea of what is required for the new SYDNEY terminal? First question - is it in Sydney? Answer - No. Action #1 Red Pen. Action #2 Sack the person who came up with the idea. 

 

With this thinking the Sydney Harbour Bridge would have been built over the Murray River as that would have been easier than building it over the harbour. 

 

I despair at the world at times. 

 

Well  if they built the Harbour  Bridge over the Murray in the first place there would be no need for  this discussion now  at all. 😂😂😂😂😂😂

Edited September 2, 2023 by gbenjo

[OzKiwiJJ]

26 minutes ago, mr walker said:

I suggest the Port Authority needs a new CEO. The person in that position should be working towards the best possible location for the new SYDNEY cruise-port, not the easiest 'option' for him. The process is to choose the best location and then work out how to get it done.

 

How could Port Kembla even be considered for the new terminal? Maybe the NSW Premier has another friend looking for a high paying job who would have a better idea of what is required for the new SYDNEY terminal? First question - is it in Sydney? Answer - No. Action #1 Red Pen. Action #2 Sack the person who came up with the idea. 

 

With this thinking the Sydney Harbour Bridge would have been built over the Murray River as that would have been easier than building it over the harbour. 

 

I despair at the world at times. 

 

No, it would have been built over the Hunter River. 😁

[Chiliburn]

It’s quite a nice train trip to the Gong but not ideal for people flying in and then adding a couple extra hours.

[rkmw]

4 minutes ago, Chiliburn said:

It’s quite a nice train trip to the Gong but not ideal for people flying in and then adding a couple extra hours.

Definitely no good for people flying interstate and can you imagine the overseas passengers landing at Sydney airport and then another long train trip and then do the same again on the return trip to go home 

[Scanorama]

It might be a viable option for people living in Illawarra, but currently the train line doesn't reach the wharf itself, Port Kembla station has very limited parking bays for shuttle buses (Port Kembla North is worse). The catchment area is very limited, I'm not sure there is a sustained demand for a ship to be based in Port Kembla? If you are interstate or overseas, Port Kembla isn't the easiest place to get to. 

 

Even as a visiting port, Port Kembla isn't very popular. Only very few ships stopped their pre-COVID, but even fewer now.

[SinbadThePorter]

2 hours ago, mr walker said:

The process is to choose the best location and then work out how to get it done.

 

I would suggest that that ship has sailed. Sydney Harbour is what it is.

 

The Navy isn't moving and I know of no suitable alternative site.

 

If someone knows of a suitable block of land on the harbour foreshore that's available for development, I'd be interested in hearing about it. 🤑

[Chiliburn]

49 minutes ago, rkmw said:

Definitely no good for people flying interstate and can you imagine the overseas passengers landing at Sydney airport and then another long train trip and then do the same again on the return trip to go home 

I’m thinking of the Americans with limited holidays ,they fly in on the day and out on disembarking.

Not a good option for international tourism.

[bazzaw]

Having done a lot of cruising all around the World, I have lost count of the number of very famous tourist places/cities that have ports which are hours by bus away. Rooting for new terminals in Sydney Harbour is somewhat akin to rooting for the return of Regional train services - it aint gunna happen! 

[Auscruisefam]

Sydney has one of the most beautiful sail aways in the world. It is absolutely spectacular. I don’t think many overseas tourists would be thrilled sailing out of Port Kembla. 

[OzKiwiJJ]

4 hours ago, bazzaw said:

Having done a lot of cruising all around the World, I have lost count of the number of very famous tourist places/cities that have ports which are hours by bus away. Rooting for new terminals in Sydney Harbour is somewhat akin to rooting for the return of Regional train services - it aint gunna happen! 

But how many of those actually coastal places/cities, and if they are can they handle modern cruise ships? Most are inland or river  cities ie Rome, Florence, London, even Edinburgh, Bangkok, Ho Chi Minh City.  

Edited September 2, 2023 by OzKiwiJJ

[fruitmachine]

1 hour ago, OzKiwiJJ said:

But how many of those actually coastal places/cities, and if they are can they handle modern cruise ships? Most are inland or river  cities ie Rome, Florence, London, even Edinburgh, Bangkok, Ho Chi Minh City.  

Edinburgh is very much on the sea.  It's over 5m/8.5km to the other side of the Firth of Forth.

[mr walker]

19 hours ago, Chiliburn said:

I’m thinking of the Americans with limited holidays ,they fly in on the day and out on disembarking.

Not a good option for international tourism.

Even more so if they arrive into Nancy Bird Walton [WSI] - maybe you & I can get a van and run a shuttle to/from Pt Kembla for cruise money 🙂 

[buchhalm]

Perhaps drop the "low-cost" ships there.

Like Ryanair selling Frankfurt and landing you in Hahn, well over 100 km away. 

[Chiliburn]

1 hour ago, mr walker said:

Even more so if they arrive into Nancy Bird Walton [WSI] - maybe you & I can get a van and run a shuttle to/from Pt Kembla for cruise money 🙂 

Now you’re thinking mr walker ,let’s get on the gravy train.

 

BUT what about climate change and isn’t sea level supposed to go up by 3 meters or something ?  Panther’s international cruise terminal has a ring to it ,just down the road from the new airport.

It Couldn’t be any more stupid than Kembla as a cruise terminal.

 Wouldn’t it be more practical to move some of the navy to Kembla.

 

 

Edited September 3, 2023 by Chiliburn

[Tranquility Base]

16 hours ago, OzKiwiJJ said:

…….Ho Chi Minh City.  

I have walked into Saigon from a cruise ship.

Of course you have to be careful in selecting the appropriate size ship which makes that possible.

[arxcards]

2 hours ago, buchhalm said:

Perhaps drop the "low-cost" ships there.

Like Ryanair selling Frankfurt and landing you in Hahn, well over 100 km away. 

Our low cost ships fit under the bridge to the underused facility at White Bay.

[Chiliburn]

14 minutes ago, arxcards said:

Our low cost ships fit under the bridge to the underused facility at White Bay.

I got a suspicion that white bay might be more valuable for housing in the not to distant future. 
New metro and thoughts of a waterfront development area.

[arxcards]

Going back to post #1, Philip Holliday is a man of two hats, and curiously one of those hats isn't mentioned in the story.

 

Rather than CLIA mentioned in post 1, the story in Cruise Weekly is from the annual conference & AGM of the Australian Cruise Association. I don't believe there is any conflict between his two hats here, but find it strange that the story doesn't refer to him as being the Chair of that association. Lots of support for Port Kembla there - after all, the conference was held in Wollongong.

 

Does one hat favour Kembla over the other, or are both hats aligned?

[OzKiwiJJ]

17 hours ago, fruitmachine said:

Edinburgh is very much on the sea.  It's over 5m/8.5km to the other side of the Firth of Forth.

But Edinburgh doesn't have a port suitable for large cruise ships so for those it's a tender port, tendering to South Queensferry.

[OzKiwiJJ]

2 hours ago, Tranquility Base said:

I have walked into Saigon from a cruise ship.

Of course you have to be careful in selecting the appropriate size ship which makes that possible.

Exactly. I'm looking forward to doing just that in November on Regent Seven Seas Explorer.

 

As ships get bigger and bigger there may end up being fewer and fewer ports they can dock at so they may need to use alternatives - and that is what has happened in Saigon. 

[OzKiwiJJ]

1 hour ago, arxcards said:

Our low cost ships fit under the bridge to the underused facility at White Bay.

Low cost ships? Many of the ships that now dock at White Bay are the luxury lines. That's a bit ironic - they get White Elephant Bay while the mass market lines get the prime spot at the OPT! 🤣