There are many rumors about that the Daintree

yep.....
It was in yesterdays Australian. The gist of it is that the old operaters contract finishs 2 or 3 months before the new guy will have his barge ready.So the bloke who has the barge now is saying FAR QUE to the Gouglas Shire council and not continuing untill the new lease starts. I feel theres a lot more to it than what the Australian reported.

rs

PRESS RELEASE:
DAINTREE FERRY WILL CONTINUE - COUNCIL

The Douglas Shire Council has responded angrily to what it calls misinformed and mischievous reports that the Daintree River Ferry will cease operation from 21st March 2006.

Douglas Shire Council Mayor, Cr Mike Berwick said: “a recent report appearing in The Australian newspaper is unfounded and amounts to nothing more than journalistic ‘sensationalism’ and scaremongering.”

Mayor Berwick added, “a number of senior members of the Council’s staff have been in negotiations with the current ferry operator for some months, seeking either to extend the current contract to 30th June 2006 or for the Council to purchase the ferry from the operator with effect from the date of the termination of the contract”.

Cr Berwick said: “the negotiations are progressing and I am very confident they will be successfully concluded well before 21st March. In the event that doesn’t happen arrangements will be in place to continue a ferry service between the period of the expiry of the current contract and the commencement of the new contract. The nature of these arrangements is confidential.”

He added: “The Council considers the ferry service to be an ‘essential service’ for the Shire’s residents north of the Daintree River, as well as for tourism and other business operators and the travelling public generally”.

“We are doing and will continue to do everything in our power to secure the service during the transition from the existing contract to the new contract,” he concluded.

Further information can be obtained by contacting the office of the Mayor of the Douglas Shire Council on (07)4099 9444 during business hours.

It's what they call a 'colour' story. But it's not confined to journos!
Collyn Rivers

Good evening Gramps glad you arrived home safe after your trek up to Jacobs Well for the EO muster regards ,Bob.

Very Interesting... one of the "Old Daintree Ferries" is now in service at Ballina...I wonder how local Govt manages to shoot themselves in the feet so continuously...What exactly you do with a cable punt that is made redundant is an interesting question... Not like old Melbourne trams that are fiercely bid for on Ebay, the last on sold for $250,000.....