Business
7 May, 2025
Ferry’s crucial stage
THE new Daintree River ferry has reached a critical stage with Douglas Shire Council considering offers to design, construct, deliver and operate the new vessel, while more than $9 million has been committed to upgrading surrounding roads and infrastructure on either side of the crossing.
The landside infrastructure design will include priority, dual waiting and exit lanes that will aim to reduce queue lengths and waiting times.
Councillors voted at last week’s monthly meeting to award a contract for the work – which aligns with the planned introduction of a new larger capacity ferry – to south-west Queensland company Durack Civil.
The tender process for the ferry ended on April 9. A report for councillors will be prepared subject to evaluation and negotiation with tenderers.
Mayor Lisa Scomazzon said the completion of the tender process and the contract for landside infrastructure were significant.
“The Daintree River ferry upgrade and associated landside civil works will provide quicker access for locals and tourists across the Daintree River and reduce queuing congestion and potential blockages during peak tourism season,” she said.
Cr Scomazzon said both sides of the river needed upgrades.
“We need to improve the road infrastructure both north and south of the river to accommodate the eventual larger four-lane ferry,” Cr Scomazzon said.
“An $8.8 million contract has been awarded to Durack Civil to develop the new infrastructure which will contain dual waiting and exits lanes, reducing waiting times for locals and tourists.
“Work will hopefully be started after the wet season, next year.”
During the meeting Cr Scomazzon said: “It’s finally starting, we’re moving forward, it’s been awhile.”
She said it would be “nice and shiny”.
“I’m looking forward to it,” Cr Scomazzon said
Cr Michael Rees, who moved the motion to award the contract, said it was “exciting” and described the project as a “ginormous body of work”.
He said it was being done simultaneously with the ferry contract.
“We can’t afford to wait,’’ Cr Rees said.
“We are hoping that the new ferry will transport 30 per cent more traffic. It sounds like there will be work done on both sides simultaneously and I am very happy to hear that some of the concept drawings will be published at some point so the community can see what we are talking about and it is not just abstract.’’
Cr Abigail Noli said it was hoped the ferry contract would come before councillors “in the very near future”.
She said the landside works were “a big sum of money” which was being spread over four years.
She said there would be a “smick new entrance to the World Heritage-listed Daintree rainforest”.
A council report said the ferry provided a critical transport link for about 950 residents and hundreds of thousands of annual visitors a year on whom the businesses north of the river depend.
“The tourism season sees a large influx of tourist vehicles to the area. During peak periods, the population swells significantly due to tourism,” the report said.
“Over 100 small businesses operate in the region, including 43 active tourism operators, most of which rely on uninterrupted access for guests, deliveries and staff.
“In peak times, traffic can extend towards the Mossman Daintree Rd (highway) some 2km with wait times up to two hours.
“The Daintree River ferry upgrade and associated landside civil works will provide quicker access for locals and tourists across the Daintree River and reduce queueing congestion and potential blockages during peak tourism season.”
The report said the new ferry would have the capacity to transport 30 per cent more vehicles every crossing and also cross more frequently due to the design of dual loading and unloading ferry ramps and onshore concrete ramps.
“This design initiative requires the landside infrastructure be designed to enable the dual loading and unloading of vehicles through wider landside concrete entry ramps,” the report said.
The contract involves $8.8m for the works plus $880,000 for provisions. The budget would be allocated over 2024-25, 2025-26, 2026-27 and 2027-28 financial years with $385,000 for the design this financial year and sums of $2m, $3.77m and $3.5m for subsequent works in the following years.
The report said council officers worked with the contractor “to remove design and methodology uncertainty, hence removing almost $900,000 from the lump sum price, with provisional costs only to be realised as required”.
The new ferry is expected to arrive in November, 2027.
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