The state government has locked in funding to keep a local ferry running for another two years.
The services between Portarlington and Docklands have become an integral part of the Bellarine community.
Around 120,000 people take the ferry annually, with a number of locals using it to commute to the city for work while it’s also popular with tourists visiting the Bellarine Peninsula.
Member for Bellarine Alison Marchant said Tourism Research Australia numbers showed a 36% increase in visitors to Portarlington in 2024, with 677,00 people swinging through the local community.
“The Bellarine Peninsula is a great place to live and visit, recently coming 3rd at the Victorian Tourism Council Awards for Best Small Tourism Town,” the local MP said
“The Portarlington Ferry plays an important part of the tourism economy for the Bellarine, as well making the Peninsula a more accessible place to live and commute to Melbourne for work.”
It follows a $10 million upgrade to Portarlington Pier in 2022, with the state government investing more than $23 million in infrastructure to support ferry operations.
