A ferry service connecting Port Stephens to the wider mid-north coast, while also promoting tourism and easing carparking congestion in Shoal Bay, has been floated by key interest groups.
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The Tomaree Headland Heritage Group has joined with tourism providers Imagine Cruises and Port Stephens Ferry Service in advocating for the re-installation of a wharf to cater for a ferry service in front of the Tomaree Lodge facility once all residents have been vacated.
It is expected that the few remaining residents at Tomaree Lodge will be transferred to group homes in the coming months.
A spokesperson for the Communities and Justice department said that "the government's first priority is the safe transition of the remaining residents to their new group home once it has been built".
"In the meantime, Tomaree Lodge is their home and we will not undertake any planning for the future use of the site until they have safely moved. The government has already committed that the site will be available for public use in the future."
The construction of a new wharf in an area where a previous timber structure stood for some decades before being demolished in 2007 for safety reasons, was a "no brainer", according to Imagine owner and heritage group member Frank Future.
He estimates the cost for a 30m fixed wharf, with pontoon attached, would come in under $500,000, a sum which could be secured through a grant from NSW Maritime service, similar to the $1.6 million Port Stephens Council received for the Little Beach boat ramp.
"We have the expertise and labour right here in Port Stephens to undertake the construction work and a new ferry service would open up a whole new level of land and marine tourism in Port Stephens, close to the area's iconic Tomaree headland," Mr Future said.
A ferry service would also provide much needed public transport in an area of Shoal Bay that is overwhelmed with carparking problems, says THHG president Peter Clough.
"A new wharf provides an opportunity to have public transport access to the Tomaree headland and the [planned] National Parks' Tomaree Coastal Walk by allowing access to ferry and cruise operators," Mr Clough said.
"It will go a long way towards addressing the already very constricted parking and traffic management at the headland and also the proposed coastal walk will undoubtedly attract increased visitation. Access by coach is also challenging."
Approximately 200,000 people visit the Tomaree headland every year.
"Introduction of ferry and cruise services to the headland have the potential to provide a significant new tourism product for Port Stephens particularly if a more extensive service is offered to link the various existing jetty facilities at Nelson Bay, Bannisters, Soldiers Point marina and even Lemon Tree," Mr Clough said.
Port Stephens Ferry Service owner Teresa Charchalis said an extended ferry service in Port Stephens would provide a full day's experience for visitors from the mid-north coast.
"We currently have tourists who drive from the place like Port Macquarie to Tea Gardens then board a ferry to Nelson Bay. Ferrying them to Shoal Bay would provide an added attraction."
Mr Clough said that the headland had many significant historic elements including the torpedo platform and other WWII relics, as well as cultural, indigenous and marine history.
"The headland has an impressive list of significant heritage items and having a direct ferry service would add to the visitor experience."
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