UWA first stop for new ferry service

University students will be among the first to benefit from an expanded Perth public ferry network as studies into expanding the service ramp up.

A tender to gauge the ability to build up to 15 new ferries locally by the Department of Transport which closed today sought input from WA boat builders on cost and delivery timelines of electric and diesel ferries.

Contained within the tender were two maps showing which routes would be prioritised.

A nine-minute commute between Matilda Bay and Elizabeth Quay and eight-minute route from UWA to Canning Bridge would represent the first stage of the expanded ferry service.

That was despite Canning Bridge being earmarked as a “future consideration”, behind Applecross, Point Fraser, Burswood, Perth Stadium, and Claisebrook Cove which were all under active investigation alongside Matilda Bay.

The Canning Bridge stop would likely use the jetty out the front of the Raffles Hotel.

Belmont, Belmont Park, Rivervale and Maylands each fell into the future consideration category too.

Ferries built to service the new routes will have capacity for at least 130 passengers with a mix of indoor and outdoor seating.

The last new Transperth ferry, Tricia, was built in 2019 at a cost of $2.6 million by Dongara Marine.

That ferry was built to be capable of traveling further afield than the South Perth to Elizabeth Quay bunny run.

WA Premier Roger Cook revealed the state government’s plan to expand the ferry service in February this year.

He was not the first – expanding the ferry network has been a constant for policy planners in Perth since the 1980s.

Instead, the service has shrunk during that time, having previously serviced three stops; Coode Street Jetty, Mends Street Jetty, and Barrack Street Jetty.

Several major apartment projects along the Swan River have been touting an expanded ferry network to potential buyers in recent years.