Greens want restoration of Balmoral ferry service

By William Blue Greens candidate for North Shore James Mullan is advocating for an inter North Shore Ferry service and the return of the Balmoral Beach Ferry Service.

Currently, four ferry routes cover the area: with three from Taronga Zoo, Cremorne/Mosman and Neutral Bay/Kirribilli linking directly to Circular Quay, while Milsons Point/ McMahons Point are more interconnected, also serving routes heading west to Darling Harbour and beyond.

Mullan said: “I find it strange that you cannot catch a ferry from Neutral Bay to Mosman, or Kirribilli to Balmoral. You have to transfer at Circular Quay just to travel a few suburbs over.” Mullan’s proposed new service would stop at McMahons Point, Milsons Point, Neutral Bay, Cremorne Point, Mosman Bay, Taronga Zoo, Balmoral Beach and potentially onto Manly. “Imagine instead of having to drive Northsiders could jump on a ferry to get to Balmoral Beach. Everyone knows traffic and parking are a nightmare at our favourite North Shore beach,” he said.

Balmoral Beach has both historically and recently had a ferry service. In recent years there was a service operated by Fantasea which also stopped at Watsons Bay and Manly.

This service was suspended during the height of COVID-19 restrictions and has yet to return with Fantasea signalling they have no intention to return the service in the near future.

Balmoral’s first ferry service started in the 1830s, connecting the suburb to Balgowlah. There were other services connecting Manly and the Spit with Balmoral all the way up to the opening of the Spit Bridge in the 1930s which killed off Middle Harbour ferry transport. A brief attempt to resurrect a Balmoral ferry service in the summer months during the 1990s petered out.

“Preferably a Balmoral service would return to public operation. However, if Fantasea are willing to jump back in we would also welcome that. It was crucial in connecting our region to the east and northern beaches,” he said. Mullan said that it was unfortunate that Sydney Ferries operate a ferry called the Balmoral but do not actually go there.

Mullan said the local ferry services had returned to pre-COVID patronage levels. January usage for the Neutral Bay route exceeded 42,000 customers and Mosman Bay & Cremorne 31,000.

“When I talk to people on the street about more ferry services they are very keen. There is a will to use public transport more, especially ferries. But services aren’t frequent enough, too expensive and don’t cover enough journeys.” Mullan told the Sun.

The Greens say they have made transport a top focus for the March State Election. They advocate for cycle ways on the Warringah Expressway, state funding for the West St bike lane project, fixing rail screeching noise on the North Shore line and the renationalisation of the bus network.

“The best way to alleviate traffic is to offer people options other than driving. Building more roads or tunnels does not fix traffic, it only encourages more commuters to drive and therefore worsens the problem,” Mullan said.

Mullan said the Greens also want to make public transport free.

“Making public transport free will encourage people to leave the car at home. Ferry fares are a deterrent for many people who want to use the services for their daily commute,” Mullan said.

North Shore MP Felicity Wilson said there had actually been two services to Balmoral in recent years: the Fantasea service referenced by Mullan and also a service operated by the NRMA’s My Fast Ferry. Both had been cancelled as a result of COVID and “like many things affected by the pandemic, they haven’t come back yet.” She said the services were typically only operated in summer and that the government would be happy to look at reviving the services in the future should demand and safety allow.