Final chance to sail to Salamanca this Saturday

Published on 02 February 2022

Saturday shoppers have one more chance to get their sea legs into gear, with the final Summer Saturdays ferry sailings this weekend. 

The cross-Derwent ferry service has proved popular with Salamanca marketgoers and weekend visitors and commuters to both the city and the Eastern Shore, with many travellers supporting local businesses on both sides of the river.

“Over six Saturdays, we’ve seen thousands of passengers enjoy the journey to the waterfront and to our iconic Salamanca Market,” Lord Mayor Anna Reynolds said. “We’ve had lots of feedback on how positive this special ferry service has been for market stallholders and other businesses.

“This Saturday is your last chance this summer to experience this City of Hobart sponsored ferry service and so I hope people get on board.”

“The Brooke Street Pier terminal is just steps away from Salamanca Market, which is celebrating its 50th year as an icon of our waterfront precinct and valued outlet for local small businesses.”

The free Saturday service, which started in mid-December, has been fully funded by the City of Hobart as part of its program to support Salamanca Market and Hobart businesses through the impacts of COVID-19.

Across five sailing days, the Saturday service has recorded 4642 passenger trips at an average of 773 a day – far exceeding the weekday commuter passenger counts. At its peak, the Saturday service carried 963 passengers in a day, and a number of sailings have been at capacity.

Cr Reynolds said the success of the Summer Saturdays services – combined with that of the ongoing weekday commuter services – had demonstrated the huge potential ferries held as an affordable and practical public transport option for Greater Hobart.

“As a river city, we have a fantastic opportunity to make ferries a central part of our public transport network and our city’s identity,” she said. “It’s so clear that our community loves travelling by ferry.

“We were so pleased to hear that the weekday services are set to continue permanently and I’m looking forward to working with the state government to help shape Hobart’s future ferry network.

“Given the overwhelming success of the Summer Saturdays service, there’s a strong case for the expansion of ferry services to include weekend services and additional stops.”

The Derwent ferry service is a key pillar in the Hobart City Deal and has made a substantial impact to reducing commuter traffic congestion over the Tasman Bridge, with two thirds of surveyed passengers saying they would have otherwise used their car to commute.

The Summer Saturday ferry timetable runs this Saturday 5 February from 9am (from Bellerive) until 4pm (from Brooke Street Pier). Full details and times at derwentferries.com.au