Transport improvements for country Victoria?
Jobs – QLD
May 15, 2006No leave, no life
May 16, 2006Greyhound coaches wanted back on Sydney/Melbourne east coast route
Work for backpackers is an incentive to travel, especially to a ‘desirable region’. Because of a lack of integration of ALL the different types of existing transport – V-line, hostel/hotel courtesy buses, community buses – in country Victoria, some communities in a number of ‘interstate corridors’ feel backpackers cannot reach them and economic opportunities are being lost.
The limitations on interstate road coach operators – often seen as protecting V-line – have led Greyhound to stop services along the Sydney/Melbourne coast route, though many locals would like to see them return.
A recent recommendation
This situation has been under review for some time and it seems the Dept of Infrastructure (DOI) has now “identified opportunities where they can work with interstate road coach operators to integrate their services with V/Line and other operators.” Peter Hall MLC, Member for Gippsland Province, has passed on this information received from the Victorian Minister for Transport in answer to concerns raised about the limitations.
Applications by interstate operators for intra-state rights may now be forwarded to the Regional Services Branch, Public Transport Division at the DOI.
This information was passed on to PWF by Peter McMahon of the Cambrai Backpackers’ Hostel in Maffra, Gippsland.
Have YOU seen or heard anything? Has anything actually changed out there?
Background PWF article: Unpopular backpacker ‘set down-pick up’ transport regulations under review in Victoria
8 Comments
Greyhound has made numerous unsuccessful approaches to Victorian Governments at various times. Despite having the second most populous state and tremendous potential appeal to tourists, the V-Line monopoly has effectively locked out Greyhound from the state. The ‘no set-down or pick-up’ rule renders our operations uneconomic in Victoria and therefore our services are limited to token intercapital services.
Transportation of back-packers is a major part of Greyhound’s business in NSW, Qld, NT and WA and is a vital part of the tourism infrastructure in those states. Whilst major centres benefit from tourists flown in by Virgin and Jetstar, there are hundreds of towns and their tourism establishments which directly benefit from Greyhound’s supply of tourists.
The current regulations in Victoria serve to make regional Victoria a ‘backwater’ to international tourists in particular.
Encouraging interstate operators to ‘work in with V-Line’ merely enforces the existing monopoly. What is needed is an open market which encourages competition and stimulates growth.
Tom Esplin
Chief Executive Officer
Greyhound Australia Pty Ltd
Great to get your comments Tom. What you say is comes what comes through to me from grassroots businesspeople. It would be really worthwhile to get some comments from other perpectives? What do others think?
A recent report by the RACV has found that rural Victoria has the worst transport options for people in Australia that do not drive.
Tourism Australia figures show that ther were 5.5 million oversea visistor arrivals for the twelve month period ending 31st. March, 2006.
The Victorian Tourism Minister, John Pandazopoulos recently returned from a sales mission, selling Victoria to the United Kingdom, Germany and Switzerland. He leaded the sales mission with 18 Victorian Tourism operators which included representatives from the Sydeny – Melbourne Coastal Drive and the Phillip Island Nature Park.
Over 250,000 German and British tourist visited Victoria last year, many buying a Greyhound Coach “Around Australia Tour” or “Backpack Pass” before leaving thier home country.
Many Local Governments are curretly working with tourist organizations to promote thier region for the international tourist market.
There is much new development in the Australian Alps/snowfields, Gippsland Lakes and 90 mile beach. There is an Indian film company currently filming on a Gippsland dairy farm and one only knows what “The Lord of the Rings” did for the tourism industry in New Zealand.
With so much gained for the Victorian Tourism Industry it is hard to understand why the Department of Infrastructure continue to lock out Geryhound Coaches out of Victoria.
The Student Union at Monash Gippsland has for a long time had an interest in the availability of transport options for students and visitors to the campus. Many international and domestic students who plan holidays during semester breaks rely on public transport and without the Greyhound option they most often opt to take the train to Melbourne and from there choose to stay in Melb or go interstate. Bringing back the Greyhound service will encourage more of them to opt for spending their holidays in Gippsland, particularly the coastal area. Enhanced transport options linked together with a coordinated approach to the promotion of tourism in Gippsland can only bring great benefit to the region.
My wife & I have operated Wandarrah Lodge YHA in Merimbula on the Sapphire Coast in southern NSW since Dec`2001.At that time it was not
unusual to open the door at 7am and find up to 8 guests waiting to checkin,
having just come off the Greyhound service from Melbourne.
In May` 2002 Greyhound ceased to operate SYD-MEL-SYD service and as result the # of guests to Wandarrah Lodge dropped quite significantly.While I acknowledge there were contributing factors to this marked downturn `ie`SEPT11 and the “Lord Of The Rings”phenomenom drawing backpackers to NZ in their droves.Many backpackers from overseas purchase Greyhound Passes before leaving home, believing they can travel extensively throughout the country only to find they are unable to travel Australias #1 Princes Highway from Melb to Syd.Backpackers are therefore forced onto the Hume Highway as very few are prepared to purchase another bus pass or hire or purchase a car in order to travel the more scenic Melb-Syd coastal route.
Currently bus travellers only have 1 option when travelling to sydney from melbourne. Premier Motor Service arrives in Merimbula at 3.10am(not a good time for any one particulary a woman) and while we do have as system in place whereby guests are able to checkin, we only get 8% of the guests compared to when Greyhound arrived in daylight hours.
Another option available, but only form Melb-Batemans Bay is the Victorian
Government operated V-Line service.This service being daylight would be perfect for travellers but the cost is prohibitive for most backpackers who travel on fairly tight budgets.I have in the past written to V-Line suggesting
they give thought to the introduction of a “Backpacker Pass” for bona-fida
travellers.On both occasions I heard nothing from V-Line which I found extremely frustrating as all the excellent work undertaken by the various tourism bodies between M & S is wasted due to the pickup/setdown rules.
Fair enough,protect Victorias right to protect their transport system but don`t ever lose sight of the immense benifit that backpackers in particular bring to the economies of the towns they visit.Every backpacker sitting on the bus going up the Hume Hwy or flying between S&M is a missed opportunity-so very important is the “word of mouth” factor .On a weekly basis we have 2-3 calls from potential guests who book a room,only to ring back in 5 minutes and cancel the booking as they have just been told Greyhound does`nt come to merimbula.
Common sense needs to prevail one way or another.Either abolish the pickup/setdown laws or V-Line must actively promote a Backpacker Pass.
The Kangaroo Coast from Melbourne to Sydney is in my veiw a sleeping giant
and I am positive given decent transport options it too will become a “must do”
along with the “Great Ocean Road”etc.
Cambrai Hostel Maffra in Gippsland is unique to the area.We accommodate 50 people with a self catering kitchen, Dorm & Double rooms a licenced function room and beautiful nature based delights that we can’t properly share because of poor transport to our area.
Ron & I have had the business for 3 yrs now and have accommodated International backpackers that come to do seasonal work from October through until April apart from other travelling guest that stay to explore Gippsland.
Our biggest issue in our business is lack of transport.If our travellers are coming down from Sydney using Premier Motor Services bus line they arrive in Stratford for Maffra where we pick up at 4.30a.m. not my favourite time of the morning to be getting out of bed to greet guest.Not a good time for guest who go to bed when they arrive at our hostel. Crazy!! Our guest leaving Maffra and going to Sydney travelling along our beautiful scenic East Coast depart Stratford at 9.45p.m. to travel in the DARK great way to see the coastal drive!! The Premier Motor Services has a hop on hop off ticket but why would you get off in the middle of the night to do sightseeing or shopping nothing to see nothing to buy. Also our backpackers or other visitors while staying with us can’t get to Tarra Bulga National Park, Wilsons Prom. Philip Island or continue onto Melbourne. Daniel from the Student Union at Monash made comment about how the International students in their holidays head straight for Melbourne because of lack of transport to Wilsons Prom and so on. Gippsland is doing a big marketing exercise to promote Gipplsand and Internations plus other travellers can’t even get to our most beautiful destinations. These people are our best advertises with word of mouth our Monash student parents come to Australia to visit and go to Melb. Sydney but miss out on our nature based tourism and Sydney to Melbourne Coastal Drive because of lack of transport.Come on we need Greyhound back on track.
I believe the V Line Monopoly should be disbanded in Victoria. I have operated Backpacker Hostels in the Grampians region for over 12 years and have always believed that deregulation of the bus industry in Victoria is necessary for the full potential of the Backpacker industry to be realised. Competition improves service and service options need to be expanded in the travel sector in Victoria.
Our Hostel is located in Warrnambool at the western end of the Great Ocean Road,our most asked question is what time does the next bus leave for the Ocean Road?.Our responce is next friday at 9am,.International tourists have trouble understanding why only one bus a week from Warrnambool down what is surposed to be one of our countrys icons The Great Ocean Road,