Source: Mental Health Australia
A ferry has been shipped in from Sydney to provide the community of Lawrence with a replacement ferry while a regular vessel that operates the service is offline for essential scheduled maintenance and recertification.
The 24-car vessel that normally ferries vehicles across the Clarence River at Bluff Point is expected to be out of service for up to 12 weeks, with a replacement 18-car ferry being delivered to ensure services are maintained during this time.
The additional ferry is expected to navigate through the heads at Yamba on Friday before crew and cranes reassemble it over the weekend so it can be ready to enter service from Tuesday 9 September.
There will be two ferries operating between peak hours of 6am-10am and 2pm-6pm Monday to Friday, with no peak service on weekends or public holidays.
The essential maintenance work for the regular Bluff Point ferry forms part of the normal operating requirements required by the Australian Maritime Safety Authority and ensures the ongoing safety and operation of all ferry services.
This work cannot be completed onsite, so the ferry will be towed to a location outside the Clarence Valley until maintenance is completed, noting this timeframe is subject to weather impacts as ferry towing can only be done during light seas.
Some intermittent service disruptions are expected during the changeover period and motorists may experience delays as a result of temporarily reduced ferry capacity.
All ferry users are encouraged to allow additional travel time, avoid peak periods where possible and consider the alternative route via Grafton.