More than 300 community members had a behind the scenes look at Port Kembla and Port Botany over the past two weekends as NSW Ports hosted two days of community boat tours.
After a great day of tours at Port Kembla on 22 March, not even the rain could dampen the mood at Port Botany on Saturday as community members took the opportunity to see the port’s operations from the water.
NSW Ports CEO Marika Calfas said both days were a huge success with community members young and old taking the opportunity to learn more about the port’s operations and enjoy some time on the water.
“Our ports have been an important part of their local communities for many years, they employ local people, support local businesses and both have a rich maritime history,” Ms Calfas said.
“This is not something most people can do every day and it’s great to see so many of our neighbours wanting to learn more about the ports’ operations and the roles they play in their every day lives.”
Among the highlights on the hour-long guided tours were a look at the different trades handled at each terminal, vessels moving through the port and operations taking place which are critical to the Australian economy.
Community member Jeremy Harrison, who attended the Port Kembla tours, said the highlight was seeing a vessel leaving the port under the guidance of two tug boats.
“We were pretty lucky actually because we got to see a car carrier leave, quite interesting to see when you’re that close to them, normally you only see them anchored away. So if you’re lucky enough to see the tour hopefully you see that when you come down,” said Jeremy Harrison.
All proceeds from the day’s $5 tickets will be donated to Mission to Seafarers, which does important work supporting visiting seafarers.
