The ferry service from Palm Beach to Ettalong and Wagstaffe will resume on Monday, October 16, but Member for Terrigal Adam Crouch and disgruntled commuters are asking why it did not resume in time for the October long weekend as promised by the State Government.
The dredging of Ettalong Channel has been in the spotlight since June, when Fantasea Palm Beach Ferries announced ferries would be diverted to Patonga with a dropping tide and a newly-formed sandbar in the channel making passage to Ettalong and Wagstaffe unsafe.
Many passengers were left stranded, with no way to connect with the ferry at Patonga until the State Government finally provided shuttle services first from Ettalong and then Wagstaffe while it desperately tried to organise an emergency channel dredge.
The Faucon dredge was brought in late in August and replaced just a week later by the heavier-duty dredge the Port Frederick, which set about removing 30,000 cubic metres of sand to create a 30m-wide channel, both inside and on the ocean side of Half Tide Rocks.
On September 18, Member for Gosford Liesl Tesch announced the dredging had finished ahead of schedule, with ferry services expected to resume on Monday, September 25, following hydrographic studies, well in time for the October long weekend.
But last week the service remained suspended, with no further clarification from the State Government, and Crouch is calling for answers.
“With dredging now complete, the government was quick to pat themselves on the back saying job well done and ferry services would be back to normal by October 4,” Crouch said.
But with the ferry operator unable to confirm when normal services between Palm Beach and Wagstaffe would resume, Crouch said the scope of the dredging of the channel appeared to have been insufficient.
“There’s been a total lack of communication and transparency from the Minister for Transport on this issue, and it’s simply not acceptable for the community,” he said.
Palm Beach Ferries confirmed on its website that “more critical analysis of the channel and operational controls” was taking place with services to resume once “critical safety controls are in place”.
A spokesperson confirmed on October 10 that services would resume on October 16.
“We will operate a slightly amended timetable in line with community feedback and operating limits within the channel,” he said.
“There are operational controls in place to mitigate risk from bigger tides expected later in the year, including the amended timetable and extra signage.”
Member for Gosford Liesl Tesch said Fantasea has been ensuring that ferry masters are working to become familiar with the new conditions of the channel before fully restoring service, including testing of the new channel during extreme low tides.
“The ferry operator also took time to test the reliability of the journey and to analyse the passenger data to create a better service for passengers, she said.
“For example, data from the Wagstaffe ferry shuttle and community feedback indicated a need for more regular stops at Wagstaffe.
“Taking this time allowed the operator to create a more reliable service for passengers that better serves the needs of the community.
“In the meantime, the free ferry and bus shuttle services are continuing to operate until the regular ferry service resumes on Monday, October 16.
“The Palm Beach to Ettalong Ferry service is not a contracted Transport for NSW service and therefore Transport for NSW does not have a say in the operations or ferry timetable, however Transport for NSW has been working closely with the ferry operator to expediate services resuming as soon as possible.”
Passengers will now eagerly await a comprehensive 10-year dredging plan for the channel promised by Transport Minister Jo Haylen, who continues to blame the situation on the previous Liberal State Government.
“When we came to government in March, it was shocking to discover that (the previous government) had allowed dredging work in the Brisbane Water and across the state to build up,” Haylen said.
“We’ve been working hard to develop a comprehensive 10-year dredging plan for Ettalong and the rest of the NSW coast so we can ensure consistent and reliable boat movements across our various harbours, lakes and inlets.”
Member for Gosford Liesl Tesch said the 10-year plan would “ensure that all necessary assessments and approvals are in place for future dredging campaigns to occur in a fast manner”.
Terry Collins