Sensational-Adelaide.com

I have often wondered what international tourists think of our Outer harbor shipping terminal and the bus trip into the city through the highlights of Taperoo and Birkenhead.
Would it be possible to build or anchor a terminal/ hotel and restaurant complex off the cost at Glenelg linked to the shore by ferry or cable car. It would be a great welcome to Adelaide and an all year round tourist attraction.

Jim wrote:I have often wondered what international tourists think of our Outer harbor shipping terminal and the bus trip into the city through the highlights of Taperoo and Birkenhead.
Would it be possible to build or anchor a terminal/ hotel and restaurant complex off the cost at Glenelg linked to the shore by ferry or cable car. It would be a great welcome to Adelaide and an all year round tourist attraction.

Interesting you brought this up. I actually posted something about a cruise terminal at Glenelg on a now defunct Adelaide forum many years ago. Maybe Adam (AtD) might remember. It is not impossible to have a terminal at Glenelg, but it will have environmental issues and it will be more exposed to rougher seas than Outer Harbor.

The Outer Harbor Passenger Terminal isn't that bad, all it needs is some sprucing up and public access. I would add a cafe/bistro and convention facilities and direct access to the Outer Harbor railway station. Most of the trip to Adelaide is not scenic (if you take the train or a bus down Victoria Road to Port Adelaide) unless they go down the coast to Semaphore.

Cheers

That’s a shame, thought they may be able to moor or anchor some sort of wharf with out too much environmental damage.

Jim wrote:That’s a shame, thought they may be able to moor or anchor some sort of wharf with out too much environmental damage.

Unfortunately Glenelg is fronted by open sea. If they built a breakwater and pier there could be a possibility. I think there were intentions of building one in the past. You can see it at low tide further out from the current jetty. They would also have to dredge a channel and an area for the cruise ship to moor. Most modern cruise ships have a draught of 8.5 metres. Cunard's QM2 and the to be retired (later this year) QE2 have draughts of 10 metres. A channel would have to go to a depth of 11 metres minimum for the QM2. Modern cruise ships can also use positioning systems and their bow and stern thrusters (or azimuthing pods) to stay in one spot if no mooring is available. Anchoring is a better proposition, but large anchors and chains will do damage to the sea bed. At Outer Harbor there's no need for a cruise ship to be anchored out in the gulf unless it is for a drastic situation. However positioning and anchoring are all subject to weather conditions and sea state. When rough, guests will not be able to tender ashore missing out on the port of call. Glenelg could be suitable for this if the conditions are fine. Guests could easily be tendered to Holdfast Marina. The environmental issue remains for anchoring. Money is an added issue if you dredge, add a breakwater and a pier.

Cheers

Ho Really wrote:

Jim wrote:That’s a shame, thought they may be able to moor or anchor some sort of wharf with out too much environmental damage.

Unfortunately Glenelg is fronted by open sea. If they built a breakwater and pier there could be a possibility. I think there were intentions of building one in the past. You can see it at low tide further out from the current jetty. They would also have to dredge a channel and an area for the cruise ship to moor. Most modern cruise ships have a draught of 8.5 metres. Cunard's QM2 and the to be retired (later this year) QE2 have draughts of 10 metres. A channel would have to go to a depth of 11 metres minimum for the QM2. Modern cruise ships can also use positioning systems and their bow and stern thrusters (or azimuthing pods) to stay in one spot if no mooring is available. Anchoring is a better proposition, but large anchors and chains will do damage to the sea bed. At Outer Harbor there's no need for a cruise ship to be anchored out in the gulf unless it is for a drastic situation. However positioning and anchoring are all subject to weather conditions and sea state. When rough, guests will not be able to tender ashore missing out on the port of call. Glenelg could be suitable for this if the conditions are fine. Guests could easily be tendered to Holdfast Marina. The environmental issue remains for anchoring. Money is an added issue if you dredge, add a breakwater and a pier.

Cheers

Thanks’ Ho really, maybe I am too sensitive about that bus trip into the city. I suppose all cities have their less scenic sides, just a shame cruise boat visitors have to endure ours.

well, why isn't it relocated to Port Adelaide harbour... investement is already in progress to support it, plus the existing urban fabric and facilties there!

Hippodamus wrote:well, why isn't it relocated to Port Adelaide harbour... investement is already in progress to support it, plus the existing urban fabric and facilties there!

An excellent idea, may need some more dredging??

The Port River down by Port Adelaide is a tiny little thing compared to the expanse of water at Outer Harbour. With the size of ships these days, I very much doubt you'd be able to get anything of note around the riverbend there, let alone turn the Queen Mary 2 around without knocking down half of the wharf and sending three bridges into the river.

Omicron wrote:The Port River down by Port Adelaide is a tiny little thing compared to the expanse of water at Outer Harbour. With the size of ships these days, I very much doubt you'd be able to get anything of note around the riverbend there, let alone turn the Queen Mary 2 around without knocking down half of the wharf and sending three bridges into the river.

Articulated cruise liners?

monotonehell wrote:

Omicron wrote:The Port River down by Port Adelaide is a tiny little thing compared to the expanse of water at Outer Harbour. With the size of ships these days, I very much doubt you'd be able to get anything of note around the riverbend there, let alone turn the Queen Mary 2 around without knocking down half of the wharf and sending three bridges into the river.

Articulated cruise liners?

Pfft, you'd love a ship with guidewheels

Omicron wrote:The Port River down by Port Adelaide is a tiny little thing compared to the expanse of water at Outer Harbour. With the size of ships these days, I very much doubt you'd be able to get anything of note around the riverbend there, let alone turn the Queen Mary 2 around without knocking down half of the wharf and sending three bridges into the river.

In the old days I think ships of 185 metres LOA could moor at wharf 1 (Queens Wharf). These days only the smaller expedition type cruise ships would be able use the Inner Harbour. The maximum width of the channel at the opening bridges is 28 metres. So any ship attempting a pass under the bridges would have to have a breadth several metres narrower than that. There could also be height restrictions (air draught). The depth of the Inner Harbour should still be 8.5 metres (unless silting has taken place over the years the port hasn't been used).

Cheers

I am thinking global warming will help us here, minimum rise of a one metre this century but if you accept the latest worst case scenarios we may be able to dock at the Clipsal site, we almost!!

could a mod please move these threads to the vision page?

Ho Really wrote:

Jim wrote:I have often wondered what international tourists think of our Outer harbor shipping terminal and the bus trip into the city through the highlights of Taperoo and Birkenhead.
Would it be possible to build or anchor a terminal/ hotel and restaurant complex off the cost at Glenelg linked to the shore by ferry or cable car. It would be a great welcome to Adelaide and an all year round tourist attraction.

Interesting you brought this up. I actually posted something about a cruise terminal at Glenelg on a now defunct Adelaide forum many years ago. Maybe Adam (AtD) might remember. It is not impossible to have a terminal at Glenelg, but it will have environmental issues and it will be more exposed to rougher seas than Outer Harbor.

The Outer Harbor Passenger Terminal isn't that bad, all it needs is some sprucing up and public access. I would add a cafe/bistro and convention facilities and direct access to the Outer Harbor railway station. Most of the trip to Adelaide is not scenic (if you take the train or a bus down Victoria Road to Port Adelaide) unless they go down the coast to Semaphore.

Cheers

I have been talking to someone with far more nautical experience than me and apparently many of the resort ports on the southern European coast can no longer handle the new mega cruise liners and it is now quite common for liners to anchor off shore and for small cruise tenders are used to bring passenger to shore. Most people find this a very enjoyable part of the tourist experience. As a tourist if I had a choice of a bus trip from Outer harbour to Adelaide or a tender to Glenelg and a tram to the city I think this would be the tender and tram. So may be all is not lost the concept may still have some legs. Offcourse in heavy seas or refuelling the ships can still go in to Outer harbour.

Err, that would be a TRAIN trip to Adelaide. The only bus service serving Outer Harbour is the 330 North Haven Loop.