The Australian city of Newcastle has confirmed plans to construct a permanent cruise terminal.

The New South Wales Government has committed $12.7 million to the port operators, Port of Newcastle and the Port Authority of NSW, for a permanent multi-purpose cruise terminal facility at the Port of Newcastle, located 75 nautical miles north of Sydney, said a statement. 

“A permanent terminal will strengthen Newcastle as an international cruise destination and position Newcastle with the capability to conduct turnarounds,” said a prepared release. 

It will be built at the Channel Berth within the Port’s Carrington Precinct, located less than 10 minutes’ drive to the city center and beaches. The terminal will be designed to meet current and future cruise industry requirements, including current berthing capacity for cruise ships up to 320 metres in length.

The funding will enable the construction of a cruise terminal, car park and improved wharf accessibility for ship provisioning.

“The cruise terminal will enable the Port to attract more cruise ships. Purpose-built facilities will provide a professional welcome to passengers and operational efficiency for our cruise customers,” said Geoff Crowe, Port of Newcastle CEO.

“The Channel Berth is the ideal location in terms of technical requirements, cost and residential amenity. It meets marine and landside requirements for cruise operations and it is able to accommodate current and future generation cruise ships.”

In addition to deep water berthing, the Channel Berth provides plenty of land to accommodate coaches and vehicles required to transport passengers to and from shore excursions.