New Geelong-Melbourne ferry to start services in December

PORT Philip Ferries say they are on track to start ferry services between central Geelong and Docklands in Melbourne in early December.

The “Geelong Flyer” will run a twice daily service, connecting Geelong commuters and leisure travellers with Victoria Harbour, Docklands. They can now confirm that the ferry will dock in central Geelong, next to Cunningham Pier.

The team at Port Phillip Ferries have been working closely with Tasmanian based Incat to deliver Geelong Flyer, a purpose-built ferry for the Geelong service.

Incat also built the existing ferry, Bellarine Express, which services the Portarlington to Docklands route. This route has seen continuous growth in numbers since launching in November 2016.

The new 400-seat fast ferry is due to be delivered before Christmas, ensuring it is in the market for the summer peak season.

Port Phillip Ferries is working closely with the City of Greater Geelong to form convenient land side access to the ferry, and reliable connections to the wider Geelong region.

Tourism Greater Geelong and The Bellarine is also playing a key role to support and welcome the anticipated influx of visitors to Geelong.

“Port Phillip Ferries are excited by and are looking forward to launching the Geelong Flyer in late 2019,” founder and owner of Port Phillip Ferries Paul Little said.

“This service will not only benefit daily commuters, and offer an alternative to train and road travel, but it will provide a huge benefit for tourism and business in the Geelong region.”

“Since our successful trials last year, we have been working closely with the team at Incat to build a new ferry that will delight the expectations of our passengers.

“The 400-seat catamaran will feature indoor and outdoor spaces, an on-board licensed café, bike racks, charging stations and free Wi-Fi. It will deliver a unique, comfortable and reliable alternative means of travelling between Melbourne and Geelong.”