Tag: Northshore Hamilton

New Express SpeedyCat to Service Northshore Hamilton Through $68 Million Investment

Brisbane City Council’s $68 million investment promises to shorten travel time along the Brisbane River as new express SpeedyCat services will be deployed between Northshore Hamilton and University of Queensland.

Brisbane’s river transport network has been servicing more than five million passengers every year. According to Lord Mayor Graham Quirk, the new express SpeedyCat services will significantly improve public transport services for commuters on the water.

“CityCats are icons of our New World City and Council will introduce around 100 new express ‘SpeedyCat’ services per week from September, that will travel from the University of Queensland and Northshore Hamilton, into the city,” Cr Quirk said.

Photo credit: Twitter/Team Quirk

“These new express services will operate during weekday peak periods, saving river commuters up to 24 minutes between Northshore Hamilton and Riverside, while passengers will be able to travel between the University of Queensland and North Quay in as little as 16 minutes,” he added.

The Council Annual Plan and Budget 2018-19 also includes a $4.5-million funding to deliver a larger, new generation CityCat. This will be added to the current 21 vessel fleet servicing 25 terminals across a 22-kilometre stretch of the Brisbane River.

The new CityCat is set to hit the water in 2019.

The 2018-19 Budget also has allocations for ferry terminal upgrades.

Photo credit: Twitter/Team Quirk

“A further $19.3 million will be dedicated towards upgrading ferry terminals across the city, including a major overhaul of the Guyatt Park ferry terminal at St Lucia, with construction starting in the coming year,” Cr Quirk said.

“The upgrade will include replacing the existing pontoon with a new flood-resilient terminal that will be easily accessible for all ages and abilities,” he added.

Improvements to Brisbane’s river transport network follows Cr Quirk’s promise for new CityCat services in the 2016 elections. Although it took two years for the Council’s promise to be delivered, commuters will be able to take advantage of the shortened travel time starting in September.

Northshore Hamilton Cited as an Ideal Location for the Proposed Brisbane Seafood Market

The government is ready to support a proposal to have a major seafood market in Brisbane to boost tourism. While there is no definite site for the project yet, Northshore Hamilton is one of the suggested sites for the development.

John O’Sullivan, Managing Director of Tourism Australia, proposed the project, believing that a Brisbane seafood market  will help attract more Asian visitors to the area.

Photo credit: CCO Public Domain / PublicDomainPictures / Pixabay

Minister for Innovation and Tourism Industry Development Kate Jones agreed to the proposition as the Asian market is a major growth driver to Queensland’s tourism industry.

The Asian Market and Queensland’s Tourism

Queensland’s tourism industry achieved a record high growth in visitations as more than 500,000 Chinese people visited the state in 2017. The results of the latest International Visitor Survey (IVS) by Tourism Research Australia shows that 2.7 million overnight visitors contributed $5.3 billion to Queensland’s economy in 2017.

China and Japan have been Queensland’s largest and most valuable international markets with expenditures of $1.14 billion and $432.1 million, respectively. The government continues to seek more ways to attract the Asian market to promote Queensland’s tourism.

According to Ms Jones, the international tourism market remains to be competitive and it’s important to rise to the challenge by improving Queensland’s tourism offering. A major seafood market in Brisbane can be the best project that would further boost the tourism industry.

Photo credit: www.northshorebrisbane.com.au

Targeted Sites

Northshore Hamilton’s ideal location, being close to the water and accessible via the Gateway and Kingsford Smith Drive, makes it a great site for the proposed seafood market.

Other areas being considered for the project are Bulimba, the City Centre, Howard Smith Wharves, Newstead, and South Brisbane.