Current restrictions on the wharf mean cruise ships only up to 325 metres in length, which carry up to 3000 passengers, can dock at Eden.
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The government estimates about 1 million people visit the Sapphire Coast each year, with the new plan to substantially boost that. Cruise ship passengers spend about $390 per day when on shore, according to government data.
Elliott said it was time to expand the use of the facility amid growing demand from the cruise and shipping industries, as well as from the Royal Australian Navy.
“We want to support local business and communities by better using the existing infrastructure at Eden to deliver greater economic opportunities for a region that has done it tough over the past few years; through drought, fires and the pandemic,” he said.
“The multi-award-winning Eden Welcome Centre is the ocean gateway to the sparkling Sapphire Coast and beautiful Bega Valley and these upgrades would allow us to unlock the region’s full economic potential.”
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The community consultation period will inform an environmental assessment of the plan, before authorities consider the proposal by early-to-mid 2023.
The proposal also includes the construction of additional mooring infrastructure to enable the Oasis-class cruise ships to berth at the facility, as well as an option to install a fixed passenger walkway from the existing edge of the wharf.
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World’s biggest cruise ships to dock at Eden under NSW government plan
Source: Philippines Alive
