In the Spirit of Geelong

WHEN I joined TT-Line in May this year, I set about immersing myself in all aspects of our operations on both sides of Bass Strait and focused on meeting as many stakeholders as I could.

A common theme when speaking to anyone from Geelong about our business emerged very quickly – that our vessels have delivered a significant tourism and economic boost to the city and its surrounds.

Representatives from the City of Greater Geelong told me that its people had noticed many passengers enjoying restaurants, accommodation, wineries and public spaces. Put simply, that means people who are either boarding or disembarking our ships are spending their time and their money in Geelong.

Research undertaken by Tourism Greater Geelong and the Bellarine highlighted that there was a $21 million economic impact on the local visitor economy in the first year Spirit of Tasmania operated from Geelong, exceeding all initial expectations.

Beyond the economic contribution, I was also very pleased to hear from the tourism body that it felt the Spirits had provided an important addition to the tourism story in the region, assisting in building its credentials in the sector, and that tourism had become a bigger part of the community’s identity.

Mobility data from the same research showed visitors who arrive in Victoria via Spirit of Tasmania tend to stay longer in the region, venture further and spend more generously than the average visitor.

From the company’s perspective, the move from Station Pier at Port Melbourne (where we were based for almost 40 years) to Geelong in 2022 has also been beneficial.

The 12-hectare site features a dedicated freight terminal, streamlined and segregated passenger and freight entry and exit points, 150 truck parking bays and a secure freight yard that is accessible 24-hours-a-day by our freight customers.

The new purpose-built facility at Geelong Port also features a passenger vehicle marshalling area for 600 cars and caravans, more efficient passenger check-in, public amenities, café, a children’s play area and a pet exercise area.

Thinking about the link between Geelong and the island state of Tasmania, where we also operate from, I was pleased to recently attend a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signing event between the City of Greater Geelong and the Devonport City Council (our Tasmanian home).

The Mayors of both cities told me that they are keen to leverage whatever opportunities are available through the MOU for general economic growth and to benefit tourism for their respective cities.

Looking forward, the arrival of our new ships, Spirit of Tasmania IV and V, expected to start operating from Geelong in October next year, is an obvious way to achieve these outcomes. The new vessels have an increased passenger capacity (from 1400 to 1800) and 60 per cent more vehicle lane metres for passenger vehicles and freight trailers.

TT-Line’s significant investment in these new vessels will provide long-term increased passenger and passenger vehicle capacity on Bass Strait, with the potential to ultimately provide a further boost to Geelong’s visitor economy.

Chris Carbone is the CEO of Spirit of Tasmania