just wrong. I would love to visit Tassie for say 4 to 6 mths. but frankly it is not worth the cost of the boat ride. sad but true. cheers. rocket.

Tasmania $93 - 10 hours - $9/hr
(Car and caravan 11m - $398 - $489 (seasonal) - $49/hr MAX.)

I just checked a few prices for interest....- motorhome max 6m (same price as a car). These are the actual prices we paid.
Calais to Dover by ferry - 2 hours - $136 = $68/hr.
Return by channel tunnel - 35 minutes - $190.
Scotland to Northern Ireland by ferry - 2 1/2 hours - $320 = $128/hr

Want to drive from Denmark to Sweden across the bridge? $70. Double if you take your caravan.
We looked at taking the MH to Iceland from Denmark by ferry - 2 1/2 days - Over $5,000.

Cheers,
Peter

Try a trip across the Solent to the Isle Of Wight from the UK mainland, took 15 minutes & cost over 100 bucks in 2014 for a car, & that's if you booked ahead. And what really got me is it's owned by an Aussie company.

solo nomad wrote:

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be gratefull you aren't crossing the bottom of port phillip bay............
last time i checked it was $85 and you can see the other side!!!
tassie looks cheap

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Yep agree, solo, one expensive 40 minute trip but up until 3 months ago was a big time and stress saver. 

Nice little trip though.

With Tassie.....stay a few months, free/low cost camp as much as possible then divide the cost of the trip over and back with the number of nights stayed in Tassie. Might get you thinking.

Cowboy7307 wrote:

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We are coming over to the Big Island in October Its not the price of the car or van that kills the cost, its the price of the cabin

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 Then try a day trip, a seat is much cheaper.

Bruce and Bev wrote:

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 TAS has something. no other area has in Aust - a great tourist venue.

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 Mmmmmm????..... A great destination, but I don't think it is unique in that.

Yes, it is different, but so is every other destination.

I reckon the Kimberley is just as special and it is more expensive to get to than Tasmania for most people.

 

Cheers,

Peter

-- Edited by Peter_n_Margaret on Saturday 24th of January 2015 12:42:37 PM

Wish they'd build a bridge over to Tassie. Would that be feasible even?

Because of the cost of getting there we fly over, rent a car and stay in Motels.

Just love the place it's so unspoilt.

msg wrote:

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Frier Park  said

I live in Tassie. I own my house and i pay rates. So why is it if i book my fare on the Spirit of Tasmania through their online fascility i pay more than if i book through a Victoria based travel agent. It is rumoured that there are discounts available through Tourism Tasmania but none except the pensioner "discount" is available or even hinted at on their online "service" Another Hodgeman con.

Sorry to sound like a whinger but I'm sick of being penalised for living in Tassie by whatever government is weilding political power Federal and/or State.


I think you are all missing the point. Lives in Tassie, pays rates etc, and it costs less for people coming to Tasmania than it does for a local to leave. 

Where as people living on a Queensland Island  get a "locals" discount on the ferry, coming and going.

The Ferry to Russell Island is about an hour and costs about $120 (Return) for a small motor home. For a local it would cost about $80. Bit tough when you have to go to the mainland for work every day. Most people have two cars and leave one parked at the terminal. This costs as well.

-- Edited by msg on Saturday 24th of January 2015 02:40:22 PM

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People know these costs when they decide to live somewhere.

In the case of the OP, he could buy his ticket anywhere he wishes.

Why should I pay more to go somewhere than someone else? Just another form of discrimination. That is almost always a bad thing.

Does the same apply to XXXX Beer? Is it cheaper for Queenslanders? Actually, it would not matter if it was, I still would not buy it.... 

 

Cheers,

Peter

If there was a bridge from Melbourne to Davenport the distances would be 732 KLM , 5 Klm per Litre you would use 146.4 litres @$1.50 per litre your fuel cost each way $219.60 .

I don't think the point has been missed at all.
The ferries that cross the English Channel are operated by a dozen different companies and there are hundreds of crossings daily, so they are extremely competitive. They all want your business, yet they are more expensive.
It is clear that the Tasmanian fares are, as they claim, subsidised by the Tasmanian Government. That has a positive benefit for Tasmanians directly and an indirect effect of attracting many more visitors.
Would you prefer that subsidy was stopped?
Or we just talking about what email address you use to buy the ticket now? That is hardly a big deal in the scheme of things. What is the real penalty? No doubt any agency could offer slightly better prices by buying big ticket numbers in advance, which is how airline tickets are sold. That is entirely in the hands of the retailers.
If this was an issue that was important to a majority of Tasmanians, it could be fixed at the polls.

Cheers,
Peter

The fact is Tasmania is part of the Australian Highway system (Highway 1) and as such attracts Federal Govt. subsidy for vehicles crossing the Tasman by ship. Without looking it up, the vehicle subsidy I recall is around $400.00. This relates to a car so whatever you tow behind it, or if you have a larger vehicle, does not attract a subsidy.  If you read my post above and the attachment from the Tasmanian Govt., you will note the fare structure of TT Line is under review or will be. The sooner the better. My MH is 6 meters and costs around $93.00 one way inc. the subsidy. Someone on the Forum suggested some time back to use commercial shipping for your MH or Caravan I contacted Toll and they wanted around $500.00 one way, and they wouldn't take me as a passenger. Apart from the inconvenience and cost of travelling separately, the cost difference between $93.00 and $500.00 just for the MH is significant.

If you can sleep comfortably in a recliner chair, this is the cheapest way to travel. Usually around $100.00 one way. 

RosieW wrote:

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Unfortunately, some of us got stuck there by birth!  I have seen/looked at prices of $1500-$2000 for us and our MH - ONE WAY.  That was to get out.  We will go back to see family, but we will fly and get a hire car.  Even if we fly from Bundy, it will be cheaper than the Spirit.

The fact that the Spirit is promoted as an extension of the National Highway by some (governments) means that is should be cheaper than it is - we pay taxes for roads, and yes, on some we pay tolls.  So let's be realistic here, either it's part of the NH or it isn't; either way, it is a GOVERNMENT enterprise, not a private one.  Granted, the cost of maintaining ferries is higher, so make the 'tolls' higher.  But make them fair.

And stop using passenger ferries as freight services!!!  Toll runs a freight service across Bass Strait; make the retailers use that.  That'll free up a lot of space for passenger vehicles, which should increase the number of people able to travel, and increase revenue, even if/when prices drop.

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I am also a native, if it wasn't for freight there would be no service at all. I have never had a problem booking a fare and often on the next day and have been on the boats a lot of times with not to many people on them

cheers

blaze 

RosieW wrote:

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Unfortunately, some of us got stuck there by birth!  I have seen/looked at prices of $1500-$2000 for us and our MH - ONE WAY.  That was to get out.  We will go back to see family, but we will fly and get a hire car.  Even if we fly from Bundy, it will be cheaper than the Spirit.

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 So which is the cheaper, emigrate or put up with the frequent/occasional supposed high costs of crossing the ditch?

We left. There were a number of factors, but for us it was a no-brainer. At present, we spend less to rent a spot in a park (water and power included) in a better (for us)  for a month than we did to rent a government house in Tassie for a fortnight, before power and water. By half.  Our health is better, and we are happier as a result.  Also, we don't have to wait a month to see a GP, and I got into a medical specialist in less than 3 months: had an answer to what the problem was, a referral and a follow-up appointment in less than 5!!  I'd been waiting 8 years in Tassie to get an initial consult.

 

It comes down to personal preference in the end.  I find the fact that we struggled to get a berth due to our MH size because they had freight on (TT-Line told us that was why) downright offensive, as the service is marketed as a passenger service.  We will fly back for visits, and rent a vehicle there.