There’s something fishy about this ferry wharf debacle

The venue is meant to be the Opera House for fish, a gleaming architectural marvel on Sydney Harbour that will also have fresh and delectable seafood.

When it opens on January 19, the new Sydney Fish Market promises to be a state-of-the-art replacement for the ageing facility on the adjacent bank, and while trouble-plagued and expensive at $836 million, it should prove attractive for seafood lovers and tourists alike.

And how better to get there than by ferry, on a new route? A pontoon wharf is proposed for the Fish Market’s eastern side, floating in order to rise and fall with the tide and make it easier for passengers to alight and board vessels. A shuttle service between Barangaroo and the Fish Market is expected for the first two years, to test demand – the idea was touted a year ago as a rival to the famous Manly trip.

Alas, the ferry is at least a year away from taking anyone to the new fish market for one simple but preventable reason: the wharf has yet to be built.

As transport and infrastructure editor Matt O’Sullivan reveals today, plans for a $30 million wharf remain in the design stage. This means ferry services are not expected to start until 2027, at least a year after the fish market opens to the public. This will place pressure on limited car spaces available, the nearby light rail line and the two bus routes which service the precinct.

It is hard not to disagree with Action for Public Transport spokesman Graeme Taylor’s verdict when he said this was down to poor planning. The new fish market was long in the making – it was just a question of when. “The ferry service should have been there from day one. They have known for years,” Taylor said.

The delay is glaring and embarrassing enough in isolation: given the enormous investment in the fish markets and desire to make them successful, a $30 million wharf would not seem to be too much trouble to add on early in the planning stages.

However, the oversight becomes even more baffling when considering two wharves have been built at a cost of $78 million near the entrance to Botany Bay without a ferry to be seen. Services between La Perouse and Kurnell are years away at best, although the “Kamay ferry wharves” jut as far as 230 metres into Botany Bay and are sitting waiting for ferries.

As with any infrastructure project, there are reasons not to rush the Fish Market ferry wharf. As O’Sullivan reports, the plans for a wharf are also complicated by the concerns of Glebe rowers, who fear a greater risk of collisions in Blackwattle Bay. The added challenge for transport authorities is sailing ferries into the bay, which is likely to require the removal of some maritime infrastructure.

These are obstacles that could have been foreseen and overcome. Delays might be understandable, but a whole year seems inexcusable.

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