More than 400 community members from the Illawarra and Sydney went behind the scenes at two of New South Wales’ most important trade gateways recently, as NSW Ports hosted Community Boat Tours at Port Kembla and Port Botany.
Held across two weekends—21 March at Port Kembla and 2 May at Port Botany—the events gave locals a unique opportunity to explore parts of the ports that are usually not accessible to the public due to the highly operational nature of maritime trade movements. From the water, attendees were able to witness firsthand the scale and complexity of operations that help keep the state’s economy moving.
Now in its second year, the annual Community Boat Tours initiative continues to grow in popularity.
At Port Kembla, the State’s motor vehicle port and a diversified bulk import and export port, there was live music, face painting, and a barbeque staged by the Salvation Army.
While at the Port Botany event, logistic operators DP World and Hutchison Ports were on site to provide information about their stevedoring work at Port Botany, demonstrating some of the tools used in day-to-day stevedoring activity. Maroubra Lions Club hosted a barbeque and local charity organisation, Heartbeat of Football provided heart health checks and awareness sessions.
NSW Ports CEO Marika Calfas said both events provided an opportunity for locals to see firsthand the activities of the ports that are part of their community.
“Both Port Botany and Port Kembla are embedded and longstanding features of their local communities and economies. We welcome the opportunity to open the door to the ports to the nearby residents, for an up-close showcase of these working ports in action.
“Both of our ports are significant trade gateways for the State, with Botany being the State’s container port, and Kembla the hub for NSW’s motor vehicle imports. We know there is so much interest in what goes on behind the scenes and it was great to be able to offer this firsthand view to the local communities that we are part of.”
The proceeds raised from the event’s $5 ticket price per person has been donated to Mission to Seafarers, which does important work supporting visiting seafarers.
