Good news about ferry Yorke/ to Eyre Peninsula

Clare46 · Senior Member

Good news about ferry Yorke/ to Eyre Peninsula

willem269 · Senior Member

HI, I got this e-mail today and thought some of you might be interested. It's been a long wait. Cheers,

Willem

Sea SA announces the arrival of Aurora V. Services will resume on Tuesday 21^st February 2012. Please see our website www.seasa.com.au for all fare and timetable information. A 10% discount is available for online booking, which you are able to do now. If you are/were a regular customer of our service please do not hesitate to contact us to arrange your unique log in username and password to speed up your booking. (admin@seasa.com.au) We look forward to seeing you onboard.

CK56 · Member

WOW, the way I read it is that for a 4X4 plus 17ft van plus 2 adults it would cost $420.00 one way!! I hope I'm wrong with my calculations...

willem269 · Senior Member

I'm afraid your calculation is right. One must be in a terrible hurry to take the ferry.

Happywanderer · The Master

Where is this ferry going from and to. I haven't linked into it but if its that much, it must be good.

Zoomtopz · Guru

No thanks , I will drive . Looking @ those prices .

Richo

Ma · Guru

Yep, driving looks good.

Cruising Granny · Guru

I did the ferry crossing from Lucky Bay/Cowell to Wallaroo in 2008. It cost almost $400 for my Landcruiser and 20ft van.
Then that ferry which was leased, was sold without any notice, leaving the ferry operators stuck with a great plan, but no ferries.
So they built their own brand new ones.
I may drive over with the car only, to visit my daughter at Pt. Lincoln.
The locals can leave their car at either side and take the bus from Wallaroo to Adelaide, or Lucky Bay to Lincoln, so all they have to pay for is the bum on the seat.
It was a long-awaited project, which involved a lot of infrastructure development at both sides of the Spencer Gulf, so there's been a huge investment in this.
I had an outside interest as a journo assisting with promo to attract investors way back in the early 90's.
So I like to support it if I can, in spirit if not in reality.
You can store your vehicles at either side and use the bus for a trip to Lincoln, jsut for the experience.
The initial ferry was very comfortable. The journey was about 1.5 hrs or there abouts, with refreshments on board. The twin-hulled vessel dealt with the sea conditions very well.
Thanks for this news Willem.

DeBe · Guru

They used to run half price specials which ive taken advantage of. It was you pre booked & was one of the first 15 for that trip & it was the first trip over & a last return trip for the day. Be interesting if they ever reedo them. If i was towing a van i thing it would be cheeper to drive around, which is what i do.

-- Edited by DeBe on Thursday 16th of February 2012 10:19:24 AM

gordon_adl · Senior Member

I too read this last night. But just seems crazy. Far too expensive and if I'm right one would only be saving maybe 1.5 hours of time?

dropbear68 · Senior Member

Ah thats my old stomping ground in SA those places, im a Port Augusta boy.

Cruising Granny · Guru

We won't hold that against you Drop Bear. "Pt. Augutta" is ok. I have a good friend living there. We were friends in Ceduna. Now there's a town which really does compare with the gutter. Although I have to say Davenport has improved. I travel via Yorkey's Crossing when I'm on the job.

The ferry probably does save about 2.5 hrs road driving time, but not overall trip time.
I used to drive Adelaide to Lincoln a lot, and I still have daughters and friends over there. I was over there 12 months ago, and it's probably time I went for a drive again.
The ferry owners now have new ferries to pay for, and I don't think the SA government and local government will be handing out support any time soon, although it would be in their interest to prop it up a little for tourism. There are big fat oysters on the western side, just waiting for the oyster lovers of this world to slurp on. There are the biggest, fattest blue swimmer crabs on both sides. YUM!

beiffe · Guru

The trip would save more than 2.5 hours as the trip from Wallaroo to Cowell is about 400 kms and I assume most of use would take more than 4 hours to do the trip. Plus you ahve lots to see on the way if you look around and enjoy the trip. head a bit east and then travel through Gladstone and along the Flides Ranges and then back toe Pt August and then down to Whyalla and then further south as you wish.

You can visit Port Pirie Before heading to Gladstone or you can continue from Pirie through Pt Germain etc. I think the ferry is only needed if you are in a hurry and your arrival at the terminal coincides with you travel plans.

Watch the weather as they get some good seas through there as I fished it for 20 years and have seen waves 40ft high and 40ft in between and believe me not for the faint hearted especially of you are not prepared for it.

Lots of interesting places around Wallarroo such as up and down the peninsular, and on the other side as well.

Have fun

Cruising Granny · Guru

This ferry did it's maiden voyage today between Wallaroo and Lucky Bay. It saves a long drive to Pt. Lincoln and Eyre Peninsula, but it's not cheap.
For interest, I noted a truck and 5th wheeler drove off the ferry.
The ferry's reliability depends on the weather. It can get really rough in the Spencer Gulf.

Gerty Dancer · Guru

Hullo Willem... we missed you, wheres you bin?

willem269 · Senior Member

Hi Gerty, glad you missed me. We were in Bali for three weeks. Lovely island, lovely people as long as you stay in the country and out of places like Kuta with al the hawkers.

Thursday it's off to Austria for two and a half weeks of cross country skiiing and snow shoe walking. Very different form 30+ to -10. I know, it's a hard life but somebody has to do it.

Cheers,

Willem