Ferries in Hobart do not provide a major alternative

public transport Public transport (also known as public transportation, public transit, mass transit, or simply transit) is a system of transport for passengers by group travel systems available for use by the general public unlike private transport, typi ...

service for commuters and tourists in Hobart and other localities in and around the Derwent River in

Tasmania ) , nickname = , image_map = Tasmania in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Tasmania in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdi ...

. Services at the present time focus only on tourism services. However, a year long trial of a ferry service between Bellerive and Brooke Street Pier will commence in August 2021.

History

Since the earliest times of settlement in Hobart, river transport has been used to allow people to move around the city. Prior to the construction of the

Hobart Bridge The Hobart Bridge was a floating arch bridge that crossed the River Derwent, connecting the eastern and western shores of the city of Hobart, Tasmania, Australia. History Plans for a bridge to link the Derwent River’s two shores near Hoba ...

, and its replacement the

Tasman Bridge The Tasman Bridge is a bridge that carries the Tasman Highway over the Derwent River in Hobart, Tasmania, Australia. Including approaches, the bridge has a total length of and it provides the main traffic route from the Hobart city centre ( ...

, ferry services were far more important, and previously called at more locations. Following the reconstruction of a public

jetty A jetty is a structure that projects from land out into water. A jetty may serve as a breakwater, as a walkway, or both; or, in pairs, as a means of constricting a channel. The term derives from the French word ', "thrown", signifying some ...

at Opossum Bay in December 2006, calls were made for a more organised and regular commuter ferry service.

Current services

Commencing 9 August 2021, the year long Derwent River ferry trial will provide 15 crossings of the River Derwent each weekday (excluding public holidays). The service has capacity for 535 city bound and 321 Bellerive bound passengers per day. Travel is free for Greencard holders and those travelling as part of an active commute. There are a number of operators that run ferries upon the Derwent River out of Hobart which include Hobart Historic Cruises (Spirit of Hobart), MONA (Mona Roma 1 or MR1 and Freya or MR2), Navigators (Peppermint Bay II and Peppermint Bay 1 or MR0) and Pennicott Wilderness Journeys. The majority of these services are for tourism related purposes. Short services include Derwent Harbour cruise,

Moorilla Estate Moorilla Estate is a winery located in the suburb of Berriedale, 12 km north of the city centre of Hobart, in Tasmania. Establishment It was established in 1958 by Italian-Australian former textile merchant Claudio Alcorso. Moorilla Est ...

, Iron Pot,

Bruny Island Bruny Island ( Nuenonne: Lunawanna-alonnah) is a island located off the south-eastern coast of Tasmania, Australia. The island is separated from the Tasmanian mainland by the D'Entrecasteaux Channel, and its east coast lies within the Tasman ...

and Storm Bay Longer ferry services take passengers to visit the

D'Entrecasteaux Channel The D'Entrecasteaux Channel is a body of water located between Bruny Island and the south-east of the mainland of Tasmania, Australia. The channel is the mouth for the estuaries of the Derwent and the Huon Rivers and empties into the Tasman S ...

and stop at Woodbridge and

Kettering Kettering is a market and industrial town in North Northamptonshire, England. It is located north of London and north-east of Northampton, west of the River Ise, a tributary of the River Nene. The name means "the place (or territory) of ...

. Jet Boat services operate out of Hobart,

New Norfolk New Norfolk is a town on the River Derwent, in the south-east of Tasmania, Australia. At the 2011 census, New Norfolk had a population of 5,543. Situated north-west of Hobart on the Lyell Highway, New Norfolk is a modern Australian region ...

and

Huonville Huonville is a town on the Huon River, in the south-east of Tasmania, Australia. It is the seat of the Huon Valley Council area and lies 38 km south of Hobart on the Huon Highway. At the 2016 census, Huonville had a population of 2,714 and ...

Other ferry services in Southern Tasmania

Ferry Services operate out of

Triabunna Triabunna is a rural residential locality in the local government area (LGA) of Glamorgan–Spring Bay in the South-east LGA region of Tasmania. The locality is about north-east of the city of Hobart. The has a population of 905 for the state ...

Maria Island Maria Island or 'wukaluwikiwayna' in alawa kani) is a mountainous island located in the Tasman Sea">island.html" ;"title="alawa kani) is a mountainous island">alawa kani) is a mountainous island located in the Tasman Sea, off the east coast of ...

(Mirambeena, Bowen, Moongalba), Adventure Bay, Port Arthur for the Three Capes Walk (The Blade), Port Arthur harbour cruise including small islands (MV Marana), and Port Arthur to Eaglehawk Neck

Future services

In May 2018, it was announced that the State Government would introduce legislation to allow

Metro Tasmania Metro Tasmania, commonly called Metro, a Tasmanian Government business enterprise, is the largest bus operator in the state of Tasmania, Australia, with operations in three of the four largest urban centres of Hobart, , and . Urban services in ...

to introduce a service from Bellerive to Sullivans Cove.

Tasman Bridge disaster

Following the

Tasman Bridge disaster The Tasman Bridge disaster occurred on the evening of 5 January 1975, in Hobart, the capital city of Australia's island state of Tasmania, when the bulk carrier ''Lake Illawarra'', travelling up the Derwent River, collided with several pylon ...

in 1975, services across the Derwent River were operated by Sullivans Cove Ferry Services (Owner

Bob Clifford Robert "Bob" Frederick Clifford AO, (born in Tasmania, Australia), and now living in Surrey, England, is an Australian shipbuilder, entrepreneur, and businessman, best known for his success in building his Incat catamaran building company into ...

- Vessels Mathew Brady and James McCabe) and the Roche Brothers Pty. Ltd (Cartela) while the

Public Transport Commission The Public Transport Commission (PTC) was an agency of the Government of New South Wales responsible for the provision of rail, bus and ferry services in New South Wales, Australia from October 1972 until June 1980. Upon dissolution, responsi ...

loaned the State Government the Sydney ferries '' Kosciusko'' and '' Lady Wakehurst'' (''Kosciusko'' was soon sold to Hobart).When Hobart's bridge fell down
''Afloat Magazine'' December 2010 Later ferries Included: Sullivans Cove Ferry Services - Martin Cash Wakatere (hovercraft)

References