Perth’s Little Ferry Company up for sale after COVID-19 knocked the wind out of its sails

The founder of Perth’s Little Ferry Company has put a for sale sign on the nine-year-old company in the hopes a new owner will reinvigorate its hop-on, hop-off ferry services after COVID blew it out of the water. The business operates tours between Elizabeth Quay and Claisebrook Cove five days a week. It was founded by Kevyn Townley in early 2016 with the aim of offering more intimate and boutique services on the Swan River, using fully electric boats. Mr Townley admits it was a “gradual build” to develop the business profile and reputation, before finally hitting its first year of profit in 2020. That momentum was halted soon after when COVID-19 and public transport restrictions meant it could not operate, forcing Mr Townley and his five skippers to seek other employment. “Financially . . . it was devastating. They actually stopped us from operating because for public transport, for a period of time, we had to have a metre between each passenger,” Mr Townley told The West Australian. “Given our inside cabin area is about seven metres, that gives you about five people. And of course, nobody wanted to hop onboard anyway because they didn’t want to be in a small environment with the risk of infection.” Mr Townley said he was unable to return the business to its full profile post-COVID, adding it currently only operates at about 60 per cent capacity with two casual skippers. It wasn’t just the financial hit of COVID that knocked the wind out of its sails, he said. “(COVID) exhausted me of all my passion and drive . . . I’ve tried to resurrect the business but that said, I’ve done it from arm’s length and very much as a part-time gig,” Mr Townley said. “What I’ve realised it that for the benefit of the business, it deserves more than just a part time manager, someone who looks over from afar. “It needs someone new with a new vision, energy and drive to jump into the helm and take over the wheel, so to speak.” Mr Townley has put an $80,000 price tag on the business, which he said was more than a discount for potential buyers. The sale will include its two ferries that carries a maximum of 11 passengers each, the website and the two jetties at Elizabeth Quay, which have three and a half years left on the leases. Mr Townley’s preference is for the business to stay in West Australian hands but he placed greater importance on someone’s “genuine interest in hospitality and tourism”. If that someone happened to be from the east coast, it didn’t matter, he said. “When we hire skippers, the first thing we look for is people who are engaging because at the end of the day, they’re telling a story about our city and about our river,” he said, adding the stories must be told with passion. “This is a small, iconic tourism business . . . it’s become an important piece of our tourism puzzle and I would hate to see it not continue.” Mr Townley said it was ironic the sale of the business came at a time when tourism was bouncing back to pre-pandemic numbers. “And we’ve got so many exciting things happening along the river and at Elizabeth Quay,” he said. “It’s getting so close to being that focal centre, both for locals and tourist.”