Two wharves near Sydney's Botany Bay entrance, named the Kamay Ferry Wharves, were designed to provide a water connection between La Perouse and Kurnell. The facilities are now open for public use, but the central promise of the project remains unfulfilled.
The wharves were originally forecast to cost taxpayers $18 million, but that price tag skyrocketed to $78 million. The Minns government decided to complete the wharves anyway, because abandoning the project would have cost taxpayers an estimated $46 million and impacted roughly 162 jobs.
The absence of ferry services is not a new problem. A ferry service operated between Kurnell and La Perouse from the 1890s until 1974 when severe storms damaged the wharves. When the NSW government rebuilt the connection, officials expected history to repeat itself. Instead, the outcome raises questions about planning, cost control, and accountability in major public infrastructure.
No ferry services have been announced at the completed wharves. There are currently no confirmed ferry services following an Expression of Interest in 2024; Transport will re-visit potential opportunities in the future and remain open to private sector interest. If a private operator was chosen without government subsidy, the service could close within months.
According to Action for Public Transport, fare level and fare structure could become critical issues, particularly if the government simply outsources operation of the ferries to a private company. The group has warned that without subsidy, many potential passengers will be discouraged.
The wharves themselves are well-designed. The Kurnell wharf stretches 224 metres into the water while the La Perouse wharf's distinctive dog-leg design reaches 104 metres, with a berthing area extending 80 metres along the shoreline. The project was the first to achieve a strong Connection with Country outcome under the NSW Government Architect's guidelines, with an empathetic approach integrating the work of Aboriginal artists.
For now, visitors can fish, gather, and enjoy views from the wharves. The wharves have been designed for multiple uses including short term drop-off and pick-up berthing facilities for commercial and recreational vessels, future ferry connections, safe areas for fishing, gathering places with seating and shade. Environmental work continues too; 60 seahorse hotels have been installed in Kamay Botany Bay to provide artificial habitat for the endangered White's Seahorse.
Yet the core failure remains: a $78 million public investment justified largely by the promise of ferry restoration has delivered infrastructure without the transport connection it was built to provide. Whether private enterprise will eventually bridge that gap remains uncertain.