The Spirit of Tasmania is the name of two roll-on roll-off vehicle and passenger ferries that link Tasmania with mainland Australia. The ships and their predecessors have traditionally ferried passengers, their cars and other cargo from Devonport to Station Pier in Port Melbourne, but this port will be moved to a new facility in Geelong sometime before the lease expires on their Station Pier birth in 2022.
The current ships themselves are a pair of 11 deck ferries with a capacity of 1400 passengers and 500 cars that are known as the Spirit of Tasmania I and the Spirit of Tasmania II. Starting service in 2002 both ships started life in Greece and were built in 1998 before being purchased by the Tasmanian government. Their arrival in 2002 saw an increase in passenger numbers over the old ferry due to the increased service and speed that the ferries could provide, something the single previous ferry also known as the Spirit of Tasmania could not.
Currently, each day the ferries leave their port on either side of the bass straight at 6:30pm and make an 11-hour journey to the other side to arrive at 6:30am while passing each other in the night. During the warmer summer months the schedule adjusts to include 2 daily sailings for each ship with the vessels increasing speed to achieve the crossing in 9 hours.
On board there is plenty to do before heading to your bunk for the night with 2 cinemas, dining and several bar options, a gaming lounge and plenty of activities for the kids. The current ships were each fully refurbished in 2015 and are due to be replaced with brand-new ships, most likely also to be called Spirit of Tasmania, sometime after 2022.
In April 2020 it was announced that the Tasmanian Government had sealed a deal to move the Victorian dock to Corio Quay in Geelong. Due to commence prior to 2022 the plan will see an existing shed on the south side of the quay transformed into a state-of-the-art passenger terminal dedicated to the ferry. The whole section of the quay leased to the Spirit of Tasmania will be around 12 hectares and will undergo extensive redevelopment to include a vehicle marshalling area for 600 cars, more efficient passenger vehicle check in and security facilities. Improved freight handling is also said to be a benefit of the newly designed port, something that is such an important part of the Spirit’s operation that it is often referred to as the Bass Straight Highway.
While some may lament that the Tasmanian ferry will no longer visit Melbourne, it must be noted that the new facility is located near the Princes Highway and is also near two rail stations, with North Shore Station (the local station of the Overland train to Adelaide) being only 2 minutes away. By car, the new port is 15 minutes from Avalon Airport and around 50 minutes from the Great Ocean Road or Melbourne.
On the 20th of September 2020 the Spirit of Tasmania I made its first visit to Geelong prior to its relocation in 2022. We were there to capture its arrival into Geelong and its new port at Corio Quay.
