When mega liner Radiance of the Seas sailed out of Port Kembla harbour on Sunday evening, it marked the end of a long campaign for Wollongong councillor Leigh Colacino.
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But the tourism advocate, who has led the push for passenger liners to sail into Port Kembla for the past four years, said his battle to make the region a permanent cruise ship port was far from over.
Since 2012 – his second year in office – the Liberal councillor has doggedly and publicly stuck by his belief that cruise ships were one of the keys to helping the Illawarra transform its rapidly changing economy.
“Initially people told me you couldn’t do it,” Cr Colacino said.
“But I’ve always thought Port Kembla should have cruise ships in it – there should be a variety of cargo carriers, car carriers, coal, but also cruise ships because that’s what brings life to the port.”
“I knew we had a great product to sell, and that was Port Kembla – one of the best ports on our eastern seaboard situated on one of the most spectacular visual coastlines in the world.
“That belief is why I never stopped trying.”
At an official function held on-board the docked ship on Sunday morning, Parliamentary Secretary for the Illawarra and Kiama MP Gareth Ward singled out Cr Colacino’s “grand vision” as a driving force in helping Port Kembla “reach it’s full potential”.
“Leigh, since your work on this project, you’ve seen 100 per cent increase in the number of cruise ships coming to Port Kembla,” Mr Ward joked.
While the first visit was hailed a resounding success by cruise operator Royal Caribbean and other local politicians, Cr Colacino said he was well aware his work isn’t done.
“I’m already standing here thinking, the deal was to make this a home port – so that people start and end their trip here,” he said.
“So I’m already working out what I have to do now – we’ll debrief, collate the information and work out how we sell this to a bigger market.”
“But this morning I stood there watching this beautiful ship come into this beautiful harbour and I just thought ‘How can you fail?’”
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Kate McIlwain
For more than a decade, I've helped the Illawarra Mercury set the news agenda across the region. Currently I'm the paper's health reporter - covering the stories of Illawarra workers and residents in the wake of a global pandemic and at a time where our health systems are stretched to the limit.
For more than a decade, I've helped the Illawarra Mercury set the news agenda across the region. Currently I'm the paper's health reporter - covering the stories of Illawarra workers and residents in the wake of a global pandemic and at a time where our health systems are stretched to the limit.
