Douglas Shire Council has defended its management of the Daintree River Ferry after a Cape Tribulation resident hit out at the service’s cost and impact on traffic.

Rob Lapaer from Rainforest Hideaway in Cape Tribulation has blasted the management and pricing of the ferry in an email to Newsport, compiling an extensive list of Australian ferries and pointing out that most of them were free or very cheap in contrast to the Daintree service, which costs $24 to cross on a return non-concession car ticket.  

“It really should be free for locals, we are paying rates and covering those costs through our rates,” Mr Lapaer said. 

Council general manager of governance Darryl Crees however said the Daintree Ferry wasn’t in the same category as Mr Lapaer’s examples because it was managed by a local council, not a larger body.

“Many ferry services form part of a State Road or are controlled and maintained by a State Authority,” Mr Crees said.

“[Mr Lapaer’s list of ferries] are not necessarily comparable when you investigate operational times and other associated costs, for example the Jardine River Ferry which costs $130 for a ‘Single Vehicle Tourist’.”

The Daintree Ferry is operated by Sirron Enterprises Queensland on behalf of council, and profits from its operation go into the Daintree River Ferry Reserve, which is designed to cover whole-of-life costs for the ferry. 

As of January 1 2014 the reserve held just under $3 million. 

Mr Lapaer said that money was sorely needed in communities over the river.

“Why do they need millions sitting in a reserve when there is an urgent need for economic help over the river?” he said.

Mr Lapaer also argued the ferry had a traffic limiting effect, strangling the flow of potential customers to Cape Tribulation businesses.

"It greatly reduces the amount of vehicles that can come across into the Cape Tribulation area,” he said. 

“There are businesses across the river that are trying to make money to feed the community and they can’t because of the traffic limiting effect of the ferry. 

“If council were to place a traffic limiter into Macrossan Street in Port Douglas or the middle of Mossman, you can bet there would be a massive outcry.

“This is only part of the long-running conspiracy of sabotaging the Daintree economy to keep land values low to make them easier to buy back and to keep the area green as a playground for day-trippers to the detriment of the locals.

“With the funding for Mossman Botanic Gardens, soon there will be a mini-Daintree easily accessible at Mossman and there will be no reason for travellers to make the drive up here at all.”

Douglas Shire councillor David Carey however rejected Mr Lapaer’s claims, saying the ferry was a ‘unique gateway’ to the Daintree region and that it did not limit traffic.

“I don’t accept that it’s a limit to traffic at all but I’m more than happy to look at any evidence that can be provided that it is,” Cr Carey said. 

“What we hear is that it’s an iconic gateway experience, people and tourists remember the ferry as they come to the area.

“If there were any issues with traffic I would have said it would be with the lack of EFTPOS services but council has made those available at the terminal now, so that’s fixed.”