Geelong Area
Booking and planning for the Ferry
Tackling Tasmania in an EV inevitably means a trip across Bass Strait aboard one of the three Spirit of Tasmania ships. There are two sailings most days. You need to book weeks or months ahead to guarantee a spot, so you don’t want to be in a position where you might miss it. Choices are a day sailing leaving early in the morning, or a night sailing leaving at 6:45pm. The trip is about 11-12 hours.
We chose a night sailing. For an extra $225 we got a nice litte cabin which sleeps 4 people in bunks and has a big window looking out over the sea. Ensuite is included with each cabin. Inside cabins are a little cheaper but you don’t get a view. Deluxe cabins sleep 2 and are a little more expensive. Might as well use that time wisely and get some decent sleep. There are also recliner chairs available at a small cost, which are in a dedicated room. Given there were 4 of us, we decided we’d prefer the privacy of a cabin. Recliner chairs are probably better for backpackers and single travellers on a budget. Sleeping in public areas isn’t permitted, and security guards enforce this rule.
WiFi is available at an extra cost, but only up in the public areas. An old-school book or magazine is a good idea.
All that’s for later in the day though. For now we need to enjoy the day and get back to the port on time.
We’re lucky enough to have family in the area, so we spent Saturday night with mum, and planned a big family get together for lunch in Torquay on Sunday. If you’re not lucky enough to have family in the area, there’s lots to see and do in the Geelong region. You can visit Queenscliff and watch ships navigate through The Rip where the Spirit of Tasmania ventures out from Port Phillip Bay into Bass Strait. Queenscliff also boasts some historic landmarks such as Queenscliff Fort, a lifeboat station, and the Black Lighthouse.
Coastal towns include my home town of Torquay, and Anglesea along the first part of the Great Ocean Road. There’s a chocolate factory and a few wineries. For the shoppers there are plenty of factory outlets if you like surf/beach wear. Cafes and restaurants are easy to find. Beaches are abundant, including the world famous Bells Beach.
Whatever your do, don’t stray too far and make sure you’re in range to get back to the port on time. This isn’t the time to get stuck with low charge and a queue at the charger.
The bottom line: You MUST be back at the port and checked in before 6pm. Check in opens at about 4pm and you need to go through quarantine when going to Tasmania. The brand new purpose built terminal includes a cafe, toilets and plenty of seats so you can get out of your car for a bit.
We watched someone speed in at 5:55pm, and the gates looked to be shut firmly after they came through.
Departure
We got on board and dumped our bags in our cabin – best to pack a small bag each, rather than trying to unload and then reload the whole car. Boarding with a car is easy enough, just drive up the ramp and follow directions. Make sure you get everything you’ll need out of your car before departure. The vehicle decks are inaccessible once the ship departs.
We just took our litle bags with a change of clothes, toiletries and any medications we needed. A pack of Uno cards, book or magazine and anything else to help keep you amused is also handy. You’re likely going to be offline, so if you want to use your devices, you need to have downloaded your shows, or have games that work offline. There’s stil some time to do this once you’re onboard, but don’t leave it too long or you might be out of mobile phone range. Nobody wants to watch half an episode of Seinfeld.
We departed a little ahead of schedule, getting underway by 6:25pm and taking us by surprise a little. We had to drop our pizza and rush outside to witness the ship backing out into Corio Bay, turning and heading down the Hopetoun channel towards The Rip.
Food options are somewhat limited, but not severely. Pizza and toasted sandwiches are available in a couple of the bars, a carvery serves roast meals or there’s simple take aways like pies, pre-packaged sandwiches and sausage rolls from the convenience store.
The trip is often smooth, but can get a little rocky about 3 hours in once you get into Bass Strait. Taking a Travelcalm before leaving defnitely helps if you’re prone to sea sickness. The convenience store has these. Don’t wait to feel seasick, if you think you need them, take them while it’s still calm. Once you’re sick it’s too late.
Arrival in Devonport
Getting off the Spirit of Tasmania is just as easy as getting on. Here’s where that little bag comes in handy. You don’t want to be the people on the cargo deck who are still packing while everyone behind your car is waiting on you to get out of the way. Chucking our 4 small bags in the back made for a quick getaway and prevented us holding up the unloading.
Barista coffee is available in the main bar before returning to your car, but don’t leave it too late. They cut off orders 15 minutes before the car decks open to make sure people are not waiting for coffee when they should be driving their car off. Breakfast is available from about 5:30am, but we were eager to get off the ship and find a local cafe, so we skipped this option. We got the call for our vehicle deck at about 6:35am and were driving down the ramp into Tasmania just before 7am.
Once you’re off in Devonport, you’re ready to start Tackling Tasmania. We’ll return with Day 3 adventures tomorrow.
We didn’t cover much ground today, only driving about 30km and joined the Spirit of Tasmania with about 85% charge left over from last night’s charging session in Torquay. Not much to report on the EV driving today. It was all about catching up with family and getting ourselves on the ship across Bass Strait.
We did get a special EV sticker and were directed to the very front of one of the lines with a few other EVs including some hybrids. Our car was positioned with the other EVs on the vehicle deck. I’m not sure the reasoning behind this, but it did mean we were among the very first off the ship next morning. (similar thing happened on the way back).
We had a very brief chat with another EV driver while we were unloading. She said she also has an EV6, and told us how much she liked it. They had brought their larger Hybrid on this trip beacuse of space and concern about charging infrastructure. We’re about to see if her concerns about chargers are justified. Let’s hope she’s wrong.
