Spirit of Tasmania stuff

[flatfoot]

I'm making my annual trip to Tasmania in December. For the first time in years I'm planning to use the Spirit of Tasmania.

Has anyone used the cruise seats in an evening? I understand the theatre is used for that purpose? Have you found it easy to get some decent shuteye? Fortunately for me I generally get through the sailings without any sea-sickness, although I have been fortunate to not have any particularly rough crossings.

What is your preferred strategy for queuing up with car so that you get a quick exit? I currently drive a tiny hatchback so there are no particular restrictions on where the vehicle will be placed. Are there different strategies to adopt for the Station Pier and Devonport ends?

I have been wondering what 3G coverage is like on Port Philip Bay these days. Does anyone have any recent experience? Which telco?

There was one crossing where I was driving a Defender and the vehicle was parked at the lowest level right at the bow. With the huge turning-circle on a Defender I had to do a 3-point turn to get the vehicle into (or was it out of) the parking spot.

Does anyone have any funny stories relating to the crossing?

It's also sad that the journey from Sydney was cancelled. Whilst it was expensive, it would have been novel. I have family in Tasmania that used the Sydney service and enjoyed it.

[Macca81]

Cruise seats for an overnighter are fine, just dont sleep in the seats go find a couch or bench somewhere and use them. (deck 9 (i think) has the games room on it, there are a bunch of white benches with soft blue seats, i crash here most of the time these days. deck 10 is also good) take ya sleeping back on board and your fine

quick exit? nup, no chance. they dont seem to have a system for what lane of cars comes off the boat first, so its just luck if you are the first lane moving.
i do it a couple of times each year, with a convoy of about 4-5 vehicles, one towing a car trailer. the car trailer is in the same lane every single crossing, and the other vehicles are just wherever they end up being put. some times the car trailer is off first, sometimes last, sometimes in the middle of it all.

3G im unsure about, but i had prob 2 hours worth of reception when leaving Melb on GSM.

Funniest story i have in regards to vehicles on the crossing was coming back my mates 80series Landcruiser killed the starter motor, so we had to make sure that one of our 4wds was parked behind it on the boat. getting ready to drive off the boat and the 4Runner is inching towards the 80, ready to bump-start him with the bullbar pushing on the spare wheel. got to within a foot of the spare tyre when one of the deckhands jumped madly in between the 2 vehicles to make sure we didnt run into each other... he nearly go squashed... and he felt like a right fool when we explained that we actually had to run into him!

[stepbystep]

Macca is spot on, I sleep upstairs on the long blue benches - mind you I've also had a double cabin once
3G reception all the way on Telstra and that was in foul weather.

[whiskeylover]

We take our sleeping bags and thermarests and find a quiet spot, preferably near the bench seats, as you can fit under the tables. Just wait with going to sleep til everyone has settled down for the night, around 10ish and don't block the walkways and nobody, even staff, has ever disturbed us. More recently we have booked the 'cruise' seats (or are they called something else like business class?) that look out the back of the boat and these are larger and more comfortable, reclining, and we've been lucky enough to always be right near the window with more leg room. The old cruise seats in the middle of the boat (are they still using these?) were horrific - the room was claustrophobic and smelt of vomit - I couldn't even go in there - hence the sleeping on the top decks.
On a side note - in very heavy seas the top decks do leak fairly badly - we were on the one a few years ago where there was a huge southerly storm in Melb and Tas, where we hit the pier from being blown back on to it as we were leaving, went anyway and then had to turn back to the Victorian Coast and return to Melb after windows were broken on the bridge, and some portholes broken in lower cabins and the boat lost most navigation and communication equipment. As we were Tas residents we were rebooked and upgraded the next night no worries, and the sea was like glass! I was horrified at some peoples behaviour, getting very aggressive and upset about their holidays being 'ruined'! I was just glad to be alive!
Mr Whiskey very embarrasingly dropped his Norton in front of a very large crowd of bikers coming back from the grandprix, while trying to kick start it in a hurry, as when it's time to start moving, it's time to move. You're not allowed to start your engines til they say so, as everyone would get carbon monoxide poisoning from the fumes. There is no trick to getting off early, you just have to be patient.

[SueOfTheSouth]

The cruise seats are now all at the back of the boat and look OK, though we prefer a cabin. Our last crossing was very rough with things flying freely around the cabin most of the night with huge waves. We just took travel tablets, held on to the bunks and hoped for the best, fortunately all was fine. It was our roughest crossing in ten years, in fact every year since the new boats came on the run, The old cruise seats in the middle of the boat are now used as a movie theatre showing two sessions each crossing.

[Son of a Beach]

I flowed the advice of my brother and took a hot dinner to eat in the car while in the queue for boarding. This was great as there is some time in the queue and I felt like it was not wasted time and I had a great hot dinner.

The same could also work for breaky on the way out, but with pastries or similar, I think won't spill when you suddenly do have to move).

[johnw]

It's also sad that the journey from Sydney was cancelled. Whilst it was expensive, it would have been novel. I have family in Tasmania that used the Sydney service and enjoyed it.

Sydney run was fantastic. Used it twice and thought it actually great value and very enjoyable. You also arrived in Tassie fresh and ready to go, without the hassle and stress of driving to Melbourne first. Sadly it wasn't economically viable. I'd definitely use it again if restored.

We had a very rough trip down the NSW coast on one occasion. Having dinner that night was an interesting affair, with people swaying from side to side carrying plates and drinks, trying not to spill them as the ship lurched in different directions under your feet.

I've learned not to worry about getting on and off. It will take however long it takes and doesn't seem to matter if you get there early, or the queue you're in. You'll end up on whichever garage deck they want you. Disembarking follows a standard pattern so its luck of the draw.

[tasadam]

I've got fond memories of one trip going back some years.
It was back before some lady slipped on the stairs and broke a leg or something and now they've closed off access, but up above the Bridge is a large flat area that you used to be allowed to get to. It was quite big seas, and walking across here was so much fun, I imagine a bit like surfing would be. I'd get really weightless as the boat dived, then you're really heavy as it comes up again. Through the weightless steps you had to stop walking sometimes because you felt you weren't going to get enough traction to move your body forward.
Well, it kept me amused for a while.
Waves that would come up the the deck just behind the bridge where you look up at it... There were a few ill people on that crossing.

[Macca81]

i remember one trip back, other than a group of us, the passengers consisted of an under 15s basketball team (which seems to be on the same trip as us every time for the past 3 years) and about a dozen other people.
come 10.30 when they decided to finaly close the bar (after we convinced them to keep it open from about 9.30) we decided that all 15 of us would crash on the curved lounges on deck 8. about 2 in the morning we all got awoken by one of the staff... just to tell us that we should take our shoes off because they dont like them on the seats

[Macca81]

the deck 8 seats... keep ya feet off them


the deck 9 seats, these and deck 10 are the ones to go for!

[sthughes]

You're supposed to be able to get NextG coverage for the entire trip.
http://www.spiritoftasmania.com.au/company-info/media-releases/2007/Tide-has-turned-for-mobile-customers-.html

Back in the CDMA days they had a repeater on each of the ships, not sure if that's still how it works.

[north-north-west]

Yeah, I always grab a spot up on Deck 9 - although it's a drag having to remind the drug addicts to close the doors when they go out for their fix.
Pity they've disabled the showers up there.

The night I left Tassie was back in Dec '81. It was the old Empress doing the run then, I think. We had one of the roughest trips ever - 3/4 of the crew were seasick, never mind the passengers. One and only time I had a cabin - everything else was booked out - and the other three girls in there were throwing up all night, plus every fixture in the cabin was creaking and groaning because of the pitching and rolling of the ship. I gave up trying to get any sleep in there around 11:30 and took my sleeping bag right up the top where the dog kennels were. Found a sheltered nook up there and had a blissful night. Helped calm down a couple of the more nervous beasties, too.
Meals were included in the fare, back in those days, but very few people took advantage of the breakfast offerings the next morning. We were three hours late coming into Melbourne, so there was plenty of time to indulge, but only five other people were in the dining room when I went in for my food. Skeleton staff but it didn't matter in there, 'cause a single person could have served us all.
I recall three others entering while I was eating - one survived until they plonked a plate of bacon and eggs in front of someone else and then he did a runner. The other two took one whiff of the air and left straight away - looking rather green. Wimps.
Bacon and eggs and grilled tomatoes and mushrooms, fresh hot toast with lashings of butter and jam, porridge, cereal, fresh fruit and a gallon or so of orange juice. I think the staff were trying to see if they could make any of us sick. Kept offering us more food. It were brilliant.

[north-north-west]

As for the on and off - it's a lottery. I've been off the ship within five minutes of them docking. And then the return on the last trip, there were only two more cars left behind me when I finally got off.
All you can do is be patient (and maybe try to bribe someone when they're loading it so you don't get at the back of one of the hanging decks).

[tas-man]

My most vivid experience of crossing Bass Straight was the very first time on the Empress Princess of Tasmania in December 1970 1971, when I travelled from Brisbane to spend three weeks hiking in Tassie, and got to visit Lake Pedder before it was flooded. As the Empress approached the "Rip" at the entry to Port Phillip on a clear and starry evening, there was a movement of the regulars from inside, putting on japara's and heading out to towards the front deck. We decided to follow suit as we could sense the anticipation and excitement. As the crowd stood at the railings along the front upper deck, we could see the starlight illuminating the waves breaking as the Empress approached from the calm water. Then the entertainment started! As the Empress hit the first wave, the spray showered the ship and the shouting crowd. As the wave was crested the bow plunged down, down into the next wave, and an even bigger shout greeted the drenching that came. I only lasted a few drenchings before I call it quits and went back inside, but it was something that I have never forgotten. Does anyone else remember this?

[Lindsay]

I have transited through The Rip at the entrance to Port Phillip on several occasions when in the navy. Always an interesting experience, especially if you're the one steering the vessel. On my only trip on the Spirit I stayed on the upper deck in the dark and cold just to enjoy the experience without having any responsibility! My wife was amused by my insistance in putting all our gear in our bags and the bags on the deck in our cabin rather than having it sitting out on benches or left on bunks. She understood my reasoning once we were outside the heads.

[north-north-west]

My most vivid experience of crossing Bass Straight was the very first time on the Empress of Tasmania in December 1970, when I travelled from Brisbane to spend three weeks hiking in Tassie, and got to visit Lake Pedder before it was flooded. As the Empress approached the entry to Port Phillip on a clear and starry evening, there was a movement of the regulars from inside, putting on japara's and heading out to towards the front deck. We decided to follow suit as we could sense the anticipation and excitement. As the crowd stood at the railings along the front upper deck, we could see the starlight illuminating the waves breaking as the Empress approached from the calm water. Then the entertainment started! As the Empress hit the first wave, the spray showered the ship and the shouting crowd. As the wave was crested the bow plunged down, down into the next wave, and an even bigger shout greeted the drenching that came. I only lasted a few drenchings before I call it quits and went back inside, but it was something that I have never forgotten. Does anyone else remember this?

1) Do you mean the Princess of Tasmania or the Empress of Australia? Both have done the ferry job, the Princess earlier and the Empress replacing it (after a stint on the east coast, I think).
2) I assume you mean exiting from the Bay.
I've been in and out of Port Phillip Bay hundreds of times, and it's always a buzz. Unique body of water and the conditions there are always interesting. Sometimes even when it's dead flat in and out, the whirlpools from the tidal flows are so strong that a ship the size of the ferries will be jerked around a bit. In a small boat it's better than a roller coaster.

But the best is when you have a strong outgoing tide and a southerly wind behind a fair swell. You can get standing waves in The Rip then that are 5 metres high. We were going out for a dive in the Graveyard once in such conditions when the boat's motors died (fuel lines were mucked up). And, of course, we were smack bang in the middle of the shipping lane, with a massive container vessel bearing down on us and no way of moving.
Luckily another diveboat turned up in time and towed us out of the way. But it's eerie sitting there in a boat, with these walls of water on either side and the very top of a ship visible off in the distance.

I'm always outside when going through The Rip, regardless of the weather. One of the best places on the planet.

[flyfisher]

Adrenalin junkie.
ff

[Eott]

I believe the Princess was the ferry operating in 1970. I think the Empress, which was doing the Sydney to Hobart run 3 times a week in 1970, started the Melb-D'port run about 1972.

Mark

[flatfoot]

I believe the Princess was the ferry operating in 1970. I think the Empress, which was doing the Sydney to Hobart run 3 times a week in 1970, started the Melb-D'port run about 1972.

Mark

My family used the Empress for a holiday in Tasmania in the weeks just after the Tasman bridge was struck. The place must have grown on them since they all ended up to Hobart. My sister's family first about 5 years ago and my parents and also my brother about 6 months later. It's just me up in Sydney now (and 4,504,468 other people give or take a dozen).

Interesting that NextG coverage is available for the entire trip. That's another good reason from my planned migration from Optus to Telstra when the next iPhone comes out.

[Liamy77]

I actually worked on the Spirit for a while ...

As for the loading order - it's all based on weight distribution... it will vary depending on their cargo each crossing... I did hear that they stuffed up their calculations once and were in the process of leaving melb dock when they picked up on the problem - would have capsized in swells over 3m- needless to say the cargo officer was left off ship after they reloaded! Glad they triple check it all huh?!

you can get a 3g reception in port melbourne but once the ship clears the heads it fades untill you get across the straight. - at least that was the case last time i went over... i will be doing another crossing in feb / march 2011 so i can check again then.

Also you used to be able to sneak into the buffet restaurant area after hours so if you have a mat and sleeping bag that might still be possible.

[north-north-west]

As for the loading order - it's all based on weight distribution... it will vary depending on their cargo each crossing... I did hear that they stuffed up their calculations once and were in the process of leaving melb dock when they picked up on the problem - would have capsized in swells over 3m- needless to say the cargo officer was left off ship after they reloaded! Glad they triple check it all huh?!

My current theory is that you should tow a caravan. From what I've observed, most caravans are placed on the main garage deck and are the first ones moving.

[Liamy77]

My current theory is that you should tow a caravan. From what I've observed, most caravans are placed on the main garage deck and are the first ones moving.

cheaper than what they charge for a trailer too!

[Area54]

Good thread - helps me plan my Tassie Trail audax raid...

[tas-man]

My most vivid experience of crossing Bass Straight was the very first time on the Empress Princess of Tasmania in December 1970 1971, when I travelled from Brisbane to spend three weeks hiking in Tassie, and got to visit Lake Pedder before it was flooded. As the Empress approached the "Rip" at the entry to Port Phillip on a clear and starry evening, there was a movement of the regulars from inside, putting on japara's and heading out to towards the front deck. We decided to follow suit as we could sense the anticipation and excitement. As the crowd stood at the railings along the front upper deck, we could see the starlight illuminating the waves breaking as the Empress approached from the calm water. Then the entertainment started! As the Empress hit the first wave, the spray showered the ship and the shouting crowd. As the wave was crested the bow plunged down, down into the next wave, and an even bigger shout greeted the drenching that came. I only lasted a few drenchings before I call it quits and went back inside, but it was something that I have never forgotten. Does anyone else remember this?

(Edited posting above - I found my Tas Tourist Bureau travel itinerary from that trip, and it was the "Princess" in 1971) The trip across Bass Straight cost me $11.50 for a Lounge chair, and the plane flight from Devonport to Melbourne $17.00! The return train fare from Brisbane to Melbourne and back was $45.90 and the hire car was from Bewglass for $5/day. Total travel cost was about a weeks pay!
Here is the only photo I took on the boat crossing, at this front deck as we sailed into Devonport. Might bring back some memories!

On the front deck of the Princess of Tasmania, coming into Devonport.

[flatfoot]

My family has some old films from the mid 70's of a trip on Empress of Australia. On that trip I was quite young and wandered onto the open deck in the morning. Apparently I gave my parents a big fright.

I had a habit of scaring my parents - like the time when I fell from the top of a 20 foot waterfall when I was 7. I landed on rocks but somehow only had minor scrapes and bruising . That was only 100-200m from our home in suburban Sydney.

[flatfoot]

Currently getting 2.23 Mbps on Telstra 3G in Bass Strait

( due south of sorrento and due east of Lorne )

It"s a rough crossing too! Glad I don't get seasick

[Area54]

Couple of questions:

1. Taking a bicycle and BOB trailer on board, I know there is an area for bikes, but all my gear will be in the trailer drybag. Am I able to carry my drybag around with me (namely having bedding, food and valuables close at hand) or does it need to be stowed. No-one likes gear getting nicked...

2. Flammables - ie gas canisters/cooking volatiles, bike lubes. Whether I provision in Melbourne or Devonport.

[north-north-west]

If you have a cruise seat there are stowage spaces available, but as far as I recall they aren't lockable. Take only what you need for the night and leave the rest with the bike. It'll be safe (but check it's all there before you debark).

Gas canisters can be handed in to the security staff. They'll give you a receipt and then you pick them up at the other end. Or stock up after you get off the boat. Liquid fuel isn't allowed as far as I know.

[Liamy77]

the car decks are locked during the crossing so the gear should be safe overnight - just get there when they unlock it in the morning if worried

[bailz66]

I know this is a bump of an old thread but I am wondering if any one has a rough idea of best case and worst case duration's for getting off the Spirit of Tasmania with a car? Any tips for what time to start loading as well?

Thanks in advance