[Aussie Bhoy]

40 minutes HSW to Straddie sounds like BS.

Unless they have found one of Christopher Skase's old hovercrafts in a government shed somewhere.

 

[EnolaGray]

Yeah like others have said, the 40min window sounds like unrealistic.

Also I don’t think the HSW are the best location for these to be located, they should be located somewhere with good PT links, which HSW doesn’t have.

 

[dannydeckchair]

Yeah like others have said, the 40min window sounds like unrealistic.

Also I don’t think the HSW are the best location for these to be located, they should be located somewhere with good PT links, which HSW doesn’t have.

Personally I think Riverside Centre would be the better location for that reason (as Brisbane's 'Circular Quay' of sorts). Still, it's only a relatively short walk from there.

 

[John_Gill]

Yeah like others have said, the 40min window sounds like unrealistic.

i agree it sounds a bit dubious but if they can get up enough speed in the bay then maybe............

can someone measure out the distances and figure out how quick they'd need to go to make the journey in 40mins??

for example - if total journey was 15km in river, 25km in the bay, would need to average 50kph in river and 80kph in bay to make it in 40mins..... 50kph is a bit less than 25kn which is the top speed of the citycats, so theoretically possible without river traffic......... but when does that happen. there are also designated slow zones around the port of brisbane. an average cruising speed of 80kph is about 45kn which is bloody fast, maybe on a day with no wind but with normal winds it'd need to be a very special boat.... a very expensive to build, very advanced, very expensive to run boat....... doesn't seem the sort of thing we'll get pulling up alongside HSW for the first passenger ferry to straddie.......

 

[nathandavid88]

Honestly, even if the trip is longer than 40 minutes, which sounds very likely (Cleveland to Dunwich takes 30 minutes), it's still worthwhile having a tourist service from the CBD to allow tourists to access the bay islands practically from their hotel rooms, rather than having to hike out to Cleveland for it. Think of it less as a commuter service and more like something similar to the Kuranda Scenic Railway - yes, you can get to Kuranda in 35 minutes by bus and for much less money than the 2 hours by train, but for most tourists KSR + Skyrail is still the way they want to get up there.

 

[bribri]

I think the new moorings being built at Queen’s Wharf would be a more practical site that HSW.

 

[KJBrissy]

^^This adds time to the ferry trip, however HSW will be less likely to add significant time to the overall trip.

 

[nathandavid88]

Maybe a second operator will set up in competition, or servicing a different destination, at QW when it's built?

 

[geeohgeegeeoh]

Anyone remember "the Goodies" towing the whole of the UK outside the five-mile-limit so they can run a pirate radio station? I think the PR flaks at government went in hard, and deep with the 40min thing, with no recourse to either the Qld Navigation rulebook, or the laws of physics and geography regarding distance between two points on the surface of a sphere.

This is going to be a 1+hr trip. Straddie is visited by crumblies, who couldn't reliably negotiate the HSW complex in a rush, and people will have luggage. It is very unlikely there will be business to justify a jet-boat service.

Its stupid puff. They should be ashamed of themselves. Its so mad, its Mike Ahern "I have brought a spaceport to North Queensland" bad.

 

[bribri]

Well there is a state election coming up 😉

 

[RAN-AWD]

I think the new moorings being built at Queen’s Wharf would be a more practical site that HSW.

They might extend the current route to Queen's Wharf or just skip HSW and go to QW

 

[bribri]

They might extend the current route to Queen's Wharf or just skip HSW and go to QW

I think it makes sense and wouldn’t add much time overall. QW is where the hotels are, closer to the Centre of the city and better public transport links. We really do need to have ferries leaving from the city to the bay islands to realize the islands potential. Making people head to Cleveland or wherever to get to the islands is like insisting Sydney people get to Vaucluse in order to catch the Manly ferry. Sure it would be a quicker boat trip but loses on the convenience factor.

 

[dannydeckchair]

I think it makes sense and wouldn’t add much time overall. QW is where the hotels are, closer to the Centre of the city and better public transport links. We really do need to have ferries leaving from the city to the bay islands to realize the islands potential. Making people head to Cleveland or wherever to get to the islands is like insisting Sydney people get to Vaucluse in order to catch the Manly ferry. Sure it would be a quicker boat trip but loses on the convenience factor.

I'd love to see a close up of a Vaucluse local's face after you compared their suburb to Cleveland.

 

[geeohgeegeeoh]

I'd love to see a close up of a Vaucluse local's face after you compared their suburb to Cleveland.

They both like fast cars and big boats, so they'd have plenty to talk about while the frenchie leg-rubs your daughter and jaiyson hoons off with your oversize jetski. Probably better tats in Cleveland, but also more solar power. Petrols a bit pricey in Vaucluse isn't it, do you find that your Lambo is running better on 98 bought down the bayside mudflats?

 

[nathandavid88]

Looks like The Fantauzzo will soon be undergoing a name change, with the hotel having been bought by Ghassan Aboud's Crystalbrook Collection hotel chain.


Syrian billionaire buys Fantauzzo hotel at Howard Smith Wharves for $70m
Syrian billionaire Ghassan Aboud has bought one of Brisbane‘s most popular hotels for about $70m in a sign the smart money may be banking on a tourism recovery sooner rather than later.

Glen Norris, , The Courier-Mail
Subscriber only

September 24, 2020 12:00am

Syrian billionaire Ghassan Aboud has spent about $70 million to buy one of Brisbane’s most popular hotels in a sign the smart money may be banking on a tourism recovery sooner rather than later.

Mr Aboud’s hotel chain Crystalbrook Collection has added The Fantauzzo Brisbane to its Australian portfolio that now includes properties in Sydney, Byron Bay, Cairns, Newcastle and Port Douglas. The price tag was between $70 million and $75 million, according to sources.

Located beneath Brisbane’s iconic Story Bridge overlooking the Howard Smith Wharves, the 166-room hotel features an elevated bar along with a rooftop pool, fitness centre and meeting spaces.

snip

The official handover will occur in the first half of 2021. After that the hotel will trade under Crystalbrook Collection brand with the official new name to be announced in the coming months. Until the acquisition is complete, the hotel will continue trading under the management of Art Series Hotels (ACCOR).

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Breaking News Headlines for Brisbane and Queensland | Courier Mail

www.couriermail.com.au

 

[KJBrissy]

Wow. That didn't take long!

 

[tic]

Wow. That didn't take long!

Might be a sign that Mantra (part of Accor group now) are in some financial trouble? Their business model must have been decimated by Covid.

 

[KJBrissy]

Agree. They have a huge portfolio!

 

[nathandavid88]

Might be a sign that Mantra (part of Accor group now) are in some financial trouble? Their business model must have been decimated by Covid.

I don't believe Mantra (now Accor) ever owned this one. The Deague family retained the Fantauzzo (still under construction at the time of the sale) and one other when they sold the remainder of the Art Series Hotels.

 

[bribri]

They’ll lose something if they rename it though. They should keep the name.