thewest.com.au/news/wa/wa-liberals-say-107-million-price-tag-for-five-new-ferries-and-two-stations-is-unbelievable-c-17289139
The article above suggests Rowing WA is lobbying the government for the new proposed ferry station to be at JoJo's jetty. It also says consultation has commenced with local sporting groups - is anyone from Windsurfing WA, Kiteboarding WA etc representing our respective communities to ensure our interests are not overlooked? I believe we should come together as one community and not as competitors when it comes to issues like that, irrespective of our individual sport interest.

Also the kitesurfing spot is noted on that side as such, but there is no mention of Windsurfing WA on the other side of the parking area where this has been one of the prime windsurfing spots along the river for over 40 years. Perhaps all representative organisations should come together to present a united front!

WWA is currently chasing this one down.

It would be great to have a keen windsurfer from Pelican Point assist the WWA team on this issue. Most of us don't regularly sail at Peli, so not 100% up to speed on who, what, where and when. If you are a Peli Windsurfer and able to assist, please email info@windsurfingwa.org.au or DM via Seabreeze

www.facebook.com/reel/1325540488577107

I like it as all the high rise at applecross has screwed the traffic up
not that the gentry will take the ferry though .. but we do need more cross river options
I think jetty at JoJos make sense simply as it's at the end of the main road (Broadway) but UWA etc will have a bit of pull. They want it to be 200m from them I bet.
yes- united front

The area around Matilda bay is a great place for kids to learn sailing, and they want to run ferries through it? Crazy. As it is you have to keep an eye out for the ferries that come through the area, but a combination of young kids and huge boats making their way through seems pretty stupid. On a summer weekend there are heaps of small boats out in this area.

I have never caught a ferry in Perth, but is it that critical that it would be better than a bus service or is this someone's dream of going to work or school on a ferry and having a pleasant day on the river?

I voted against the Labor government because of this proposal this time around and I really wonder why there is a push for this thing.

Does anyone here regularly catch a ferry anywhere in Perth?

It's interesting to see that there was already a trial for a ferry service to UWA:

From www.abc.net.au/news/2025-01-06/perth-swan-river-ferry-plans-announced-march-wa-election/104788586

"The problem started when all the students and people using the ferry started parking close to the location of the pick-ups both at Nedlands and particularly in Applecross and the number of cars that were parking there were considerable.

"Within about probably three months there was so much anti-ness against the kids parking in the local area that the city council put parking restrictions on all the roads that were affected and putting two-hour limitations on the amount of time that they could park there."That finished it off."

- makes you wonder why someone wants this done? If its not really going to work well, why bother? Where are the students going to come from that makes it easy for them to get to the ferry terminal? If its from the city, then why not just use a bus?

Yep, its a stupid idea and will not solve the city commute issues in any way. All it will do is cause issues on the water for sailors and it will create more parking issues for anyone wanting to park near the river to do anything at all.

As a regular river sailor since the late 1970s in all sorts of classes, I have never felt unsafe with a commercial ferry heading towards me. Cray boat charter vessels and Dave from Wild West Charters are both moderate threats, but by far most scary thing on the river is a private power boat heading roughly in your direction. Parking issues aside, I've seen how they work in Sydney and a professional skipper who adheres to speed restrictions is no threat to anyone. Throw a few cameras on the vessel to give him clear views all around (and hold him accountable when recorded) and we'll find the biggest threat to public safety will be kiters blindly jumping into the roof of the ferry.

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Dip916 said..
As a regular river sailor since the late 1970s in all sorts of classes, I have never felt unsafe with a commercial ferry heading towards me. Cray boat charter vessels and Dave from Wild West Charters are both moderate threats, but by far most scary thing on the river is a private power boat heading roughly in your direction. Parking issues aside, I've seen how they work in Sydney and a professional skipper who adheres to speed restrictions is no threat to anyone. Throw a few cameras on the vessel to give him clear views all around (and hold him accountable when recorded) and we'll find the biggest threat to public safety will be kiters blindly jumping into the roof of the ferry.

In Matilda bay there are heaps of young kids sailing on the weekends and sometimes there is not much wind to even get out of the way. If they put a ferry terminal in there, it is really going to be challenging. It might be fine if you are a windsurfer or kiter around Pelican Point and well powered up, but not so much in the area around Matilda bay where the wind is sometimes a bit fickle.

I did a dinghy sailing course there myself and on a day with very little wind you still try and sail but your ability to get out of the way is almost zero. Even the existing channel through that area can be a pain if you are low on wind.

Should we take away a recreational resource from kids in favor of something that is probably not going to help much anyway?

Sydney is very different. I can't think of a single area where the ferries are exposed to the same recreational sailors that you would find around Matilda bay. I remember Rose bay had seaplanes, but windsurfing there was no problem.

I was in Sydney 6 months ago and was on a ferry getting around two fleets of dinghies sailing in less than 10 knots. The ferries (correctly) know that a sailing vessel of any size or with any competency of skipper, can't move out of the way without wind (or even with wind if a novice). They even held back to let some stragglers through when they could have proceeded right though a fleet of kids whose lay line was across the ferry route. Just being a commercial vessel doesn't mean they are going to forge ahead no matter what. No horns blown, no agro, just put it into reverse and killed time until they crossed. Maybe the ferry skipper was also a sailor?

I also sail in Matilda Bay and have had more days than I can count of 0 - 5 knots course racing in there, often starting in the narrow section just off Mounts Bay Rd before it widens out. Captain Cook and Rottnest Express ferries are all very careful despite their size being more than double what the proposed ferries would be.
Sorry, I don't agree with your view, but do recognise everyone is entitled to their own.

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Dip916 said..
I was in Sydney 6 months ago and was on a ferry getting around two fleets of dinghies sailing in less than 10 knots. The ferries (correctly) know that a sailing vessel of any size or with any competency of skipper, can't move out of the way without wind (or even with wind if a novice). They even held back to let some stragglers through when they could have proceeded right though a fleet of kids whose lay line was across the ferry route. Just being a commercial vessel doesn't mean they are going to forge ahead no matter what. No horns blown, no agro, just put it into reverse and killed time until they crossed. Maybe the ferry skipper was also a sailor?

I also sail in Matilda Bay and have had more days than I can count of 0 - 5 knots course racing in there, often starting in the narrow section just off Mounts Bay Rd before it widens out. Captain Cook and Rottnest Express ferries are all very careful despite their size being more than double what the proposed ferries would be.
Sorry, I don't agree with your view, but do recognise everyone is entitled to their own.

Nah, that's good. I am happy to be corrected. I am a bit surprised that ferries will give way like that though. I worry that with them going through every 15 minutes that it gets a bit problematic. As you say, maybe the skipper in that case was a sailor and a bit more friendly towards other sailors?

You get it drummed into you that ferries have right of way over everything, but I guess they also need to avoid collisions. I just have images of them not being able to see a small dinghy, but I guess they would need to be more observant in those parts of the river.

In Sydney they actually do have right of way, here in Perth though its power gives way to sail. The situation where they might have right of way is non existant in the middle of melville water.

In Western Australia, commercial vessels generally have right of way over recreational boats, especially within port limits and shipping channels. Why would commercial vessels not have right of way on the Swan River over sailing even racing boats or windsurfers ? Of course to avoid collisions, power-driven commercial vessels must adhere to the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea (COLREGs). This involves maintaining a proper lookout, understanding and applying the rules of the road, and taking early and substantial action to avoid collisions. Key actions include keeping to the starboard side of channels, giving way to vessels on the starboard side in crossing situations, and maintaining a safe speed, especially in congested areas or poor visibility. I think on the Swan River recreational sailors should give commercial powered vessels room and not assume anything as better to be safe than sorry. It is hard for them to see you and best you look after yourself.

I think I found the reason for the new ferry routes. Who would believe that it was for students at UWA. The real reason is:

"Imagine having a pint at the Raffles and catching the ferry to the footy . It's an opportunity not just to move people around the city but always provide another option in relation to tourism."

I think someone needs to find a new drinking place for the premier that doesn't require massive infrastructure costs. Can you imagine the line up of people drinking at Raffles and then going to Optus Stadium. That must account for at least a few dozen people, once a week during winter.

Forgive me if I am wrong but there are bars in South Perth and elsewhere that are just as easy to get to. If anything maybe the ferry stops need to be more to the east to favor more of the working class that need to go to the footy after having a beer at Raffles?

Interesting video from last year covering the topic.