Free ferry rides snapped up by neighbouring ratepayers
Daintree tourism
About 200 Douglas Cards have been issued to travelling Far North Queensland locals since the emergency measure was brought in at the start of this month in an effort to boost tourism to the Daintree Rainforest and Mossman Gorge.
Douglas Shire Council has been reissuing the free cards between May 1 to June 30, allowing travellers from surrounding councils such as Cairns, Mareeba and Cassowary Coast to ride for free on the Daintree ferry and gorge shuttle bus.
This week’s council meeting heard that about 200 of the cards had so far been issued, with Daintree ferry operators reporting that they had seen people using them to cross over the river.
Cr Michael Rees told the meeting he was pleased people were taking up the offer.
“That’s great,” Cr Rees said.
“I think that’s fantastic.”
Existing card holders can also continue using those, while people can apply for a Douglas Card at the council chambers in Mossman or online.
During last month’s meeting, councillors heard from Daintree tour-industry representatives that many operators across the Daintree River needed immediate help or they might be out of business by July.
They blamed a series of factors that have arisen since the latest Douglas Card promotion finished in February including high fuel prices, the month-long closure of the ferry after March floods, and cancellations following the uncertainty of whether a pair of cyclones might strike the region.
Council staff estimated the measure would cost the DSC about $20,000 in lost ferry revenue and card-production costs.
Daintree Rainforest tour-industry representative Jackie Pagani told the meeting high fuel costs were hurting.
“What we’re actually facing, we’ve come off a month’s ferry closure, we’ve also been here for fuel prices,” Mrs Pagani said.
“That’s not just stopping people from travelling, it’s also affecting how we generate power.
“Our operating costs have more than doubled.”