22 October 2022
After nearly 40-years sailing between Station Pier, Port Melbourne and Devonport, Tasmania, Spirit of Tasmania II will leave Station Pier for the final time tonight at 7:30pm.
Spirit of Tasmania’s Chief Executive Officer Bernard Dwyer said the milestone sailing marked a significant moment in the history of Spirit of Tasmania.
“We are inviting locals to wave goodbye to the ship from the Port Melbourne foreshore as she departs Station Pier for the last time,” he said.
From 23 October, Spirit of Tasmania I and II will begin operating from Spirit of Tasmania Quay, a new state-of-the-art port facility in Geelong built by GeelongPort.
Mr Dwyer said while Station Pier had been Spirit of Tasmania’s Victorian home for 37-years, it was time to move to a bigger, purpose-built facility.
“The company has experienced a series of operational constraints at Station Pier that may have worsened given our new bigger vessels that are set to arrive in 2024 and construction of associated infrastructure,” he said.
“We have loved being part of the Port Melbourne community and we know that our iconic red and white ships will be missed by the locals and visitors to the area. It is the end of an era for Spirit of Tasmania but a necessary move for the benefit of our passengers and the long-term future of our service.”
