Spencer Gulf SeaRoad Ferry – all the luxuries of a P&O Cruise!
The thought of travelling with kids doesn’t exactly float my boat, but the Spencer Gulf SeaRoad Ferry certainly does!
Whichever way you’re travelling, there’s often a bit of weighing up the best way to get to the other side. To get to and from the glorious Eyre Peninsula, you can fly Adelaide to Port Lincoln, catch the ferry between Wallaroo and Lucky Bay, or battle the busy roads and wind up with a bout of bot rot.
In my case, I needed to get from Balaklava to Port Lincoln on a tight schedule, and I was truly impressed by the SeaRoad Spencer Gulf Ferry Service. In fact, I felt like I could’ve been on a P&O ‘sail away’ party as the kids and I sat on the open air top deck farewelling the pristine waters of Wallaroo.
I’d had prior visions of sitting in my car all the way, with kids throwing up over the side, but alas – just like a P&O cruise, the voyage was quite the luxury experience. With a lower deck equipped to hold around 60 vehicles, it’s not uncommon to see a tractor or piece of farm machinery travelling between the two peninsulas, and there’s plenty of room for caravans and campers ready to explore the other side.
Stepping into the Aurora V’s lounge deck is like going to your favourite cafe with spectacular ocean views. There’s loads of comfy seating, you can sit back and watch TV, grab a table and have a coffee and a snack, you can even plug your laptop in, with wifi available throughout the entire two and a half hour journey.
Fortunately our journey was relatively calm, but if you have trouble finding your sea legs you can opt for the fresh air deck, with land in sight all the way.
One of the best parts of taking the SeaRoad was the ease and precision of boarding and disembarking – no sooner does the Aurora V come to a halt and you’re in your vehicle with the engine running, saying bon voyage. A completely stress-free way to travel, and it was a great experience for the kids, who were lucky enough to meet Captain Kain and ask 101 questions along the way. In case you were wondering, the boat weighs 300 tonne and can hold that amount again, you can take your pets onboard AND it’s about a 60 kilometre journey across the Gulf!
The SeaRoad Spencer Gulf ferry service operates daily and is by far the most relaxing way to “get to the other side”.
For bookings and info click here.
