A SIGNIFICANT milestone has been reached in the delivery of the new Daintree River ferry, with a keel laying ceremony held recently at Birdon’s Macquarie shipyard in New South Wales, where the vessel is being built.
A keel laying ceremony marks the symbolic birth of a ship, representing the formal transition from engineering design to physical construction.
Construction of the new Daintree Ferry began in January 2026 and is progressing via defined build stages.
The new vessel is scheduled to enter service late next year, replacing the existing ferry which is nearing the end of its service life.
The new ferry is a four‑lane, cable‑drawn vessel, designed to significantly increase capacity and reliability for the Daintree River crossing.
At about 49 metres long and 17 metres wide, the ferry is to carry up to 36 vehicles per crossing, compared with 27 vehicles on the current ferry, helping to reduce queue lengths and wait times during peak periods.
General manager assets and services, Sarah Yuen, said the keel laying represented both a technical and people milestone for the project.
“Today’s keel laying is a major step forward in delivering the new Daintree River Ferry; a vessel the Daintree region relies on every day. It marks the transition into core structural assembly and reflects the skill, planning and commitment of our production and project teams,” Ms Yuen said.
“Our focus remains on safety, quality and reliability at every stage of the build, and on delivering a ferry that supports dependable service outcomes for residents, local businesses and visitors.”
Birdon is delivering the project under a full lifecycle model, designing, building, operating and maintaining the ferry under a 20‑year contract with Douglas Shire Council.
This approach is aimed at ensuring long‑term performance, consistent maintenance standards and service reliability across the life of the asset.
Birdon is to begin operations of the existing Daintree Ferry service from 1 July 2026, ensuring continuity of service while construction of the new ferry continues.
The transition includes local maintenance arrangements and a dedicated local operations team, supported by Birdon’s experience delivering greater than 99% service availability across comparable ferry operations in remote and regional locations.
Douglas Shire mayor Lisa Scomazzon said the keel laying milestone provided reassurance for the community.
“The Daintree Ferry is an essential service for our residents, businesses and tourism operators, and this milestone is an important sign that the new ferry is taking shape.
“Council is pleased to see construction progressing and to continue working in partnership with Birdon to deliver a modern, reliable ferry that supports the long‑term needs of the Douglas Shire community.”