Maria Island Ecotourism Development Feasibility ... - TRC Tourism

The Darlington Zone receives the majority of visitors to the Park and the highest visitor impact.The main visitor facilities are located here and it is also the centre for administration andmanagement of the island. Parks and Wildlife staff currently provide all visitor services on theisland including meet & greet of ferry arrivals, sales & passes, information, interpretation, bikehire, bookings, accommodation, and amenity services (power, water, sewerage, telephone).The commencement of commercially guided walks in 2002 has seen a rise in international andinterstate visitors with higher expectations for services and infrastructure than the traditionalvisitor market.2.3 AccessAccess to Maria Island is by ferry, private vessel or aircraft (commercial or private). To reachTriabunna from Hobart visitors usually travel the A3 road to Sorell and then onwards to Orfordand Triabunna. The drive takes approximately one and a half hours. From Launceston, visitorsusually take the Midlands Highway (A1) south to Campbell Town, the B34 to Swansea, and theA3 to Triabunna. It takes about two and a half hours from Launceston.The majority of visitors to Maria Island arrive as ferry passengers from Triabunna. Twocompanies, Maria Island Ferry and Eco Cruises, and East Coast Cruises currently provide theferry services. Both companies run around two scheduled trips per day and additional trips ifrequired. Both ferries operate similar services morning and afternoon departing Triabunnabetween 9.00am and 10.30am and returning in the afternoon at 4.00pm. During the wintermonths a lesser schedule is offered. The present base return fare to the island offered by bothoperators is $35 per adult and $25 per child.There are several locations around the coast where visiting boats can shelter. The beaches ofthe west coast provide easy access to the Park for boating parties but the eastern coast of theisland is not readily accessible from the water except for Riedle Bay.There is also an aircraft landing strip located to the North-East of the Darlington jetty whichcaters for fixed-wing aircraft and helicopter (both private and commercial).Figure 2: Maria Island Access (Source: PWS 2012)Maria Island Ecotourism Development Feasibility Study 7