Daintree ferry

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As a matter of off-topic interest and relative to the vehicle recently lost from the Fraser Island Barge, Stephen's photos do not reveal any significant restraint to prevent a vehicle from rolling off this ferry. It does look as though the deckhand is tying a bit of string across but not much more.
Now I know that this is just a river with no swell but............ it could just happen again maybe? LOL

You forgot to mention to put the hand brake on and in gear ! By golly there ain't no safety chains either. That ramp angle is a bit suss to when you think about it too !

To the O.P. Its all good if you don't though, over here we blame any one but the responsible person first.

Otherwise " don't pay the ferryman until he gets you to the otherside "

Dire straits got it right in the 80's I reckon.

Beat me to it Allan.!

You do a more subtle sarcasm than me though as always..

Hi Greg and Allan

I was wondering how long it would take for someone to pick up on their way of securing, or should say the lack of securing anything from rolling off.

Here on the other hand with our Murray River ferries in South Australia, they have gates and then use a safety chain to keep them secure....and our ferries are free for anyone to use, 24/7.

Here are 3 images of what the gates and chain are like......well spotted Allen..

Take one, the closed gates.






And they South Australia is the backward State..........LOL



Cheers


Stephen

Hi Greg

A further follow up to ....Otherwise " don't pay the ferryman until he gets you to the other side "......lol

Well before you get to the actual Daintree River ferry, you come to large maned toll type booths, where you have to pay your fee well before they let you proceed to the line up and give you a ticket that the ferry operators insists on seeing before they direct you onto the ferry.


And yes Allan, it is a small nylon type rope that they string across the back and front of the ferry.............

With safety features like that, you may well have thought you were in China.


Cheers


Stephen

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Geez Stephen, is there anything you don't have a photograph of?
Even if I did have a photo I can never find it. Must have a talk with you one day regarding your filing and retrieval system.

An anecdote about the old, now discarded, River Murray ferries, or punts as they were called then. Many many years ago a truck with laden trailer rolled down the ramp onto the punt at Blanchetown I think. As the wheels of the truck got onto the punt the driver applied the brakes. The unbraked trailer continued to push forward and the whole punt broke loose from shore and moved out into the river. The trailer then proceeded to drag the truck back off the punt and it finished with only its front wheels still on the punt and about 20m out into the river. It was a couple of days before they got the punt back in service.
How do I know about this? ........ I was there with my mother and father in the line waiting to go onto the punt.

Hi Allan

Sounds like that would have been scary to witness and it would have been more than a.......moments like this you need a Minties".....lol


On another matter, did you receive my MM to you regarding you trip this year?



Cheers



Stephen

One difference with the Daintree ferry is you are not allowed out of your vehicle, handbrake on and vehicle in gear. Now if you find yourself moving, and you don't know what to do, maybe you shouldn't have a license, oh forgot, we are talking about 4by drivers.

I've heard Chris de Burgh sing it a lot but didn't know Dire Straights sung it as well.