YOUR VIEWS

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MICK Fanning and his mates might like to think that surfing is the only show in town (Mick’s cruise ship fight, GCB, 23/3/17) but, while acknowledging its contribution to the local economy, many of us have never surfed and perhaps have little interest in it.

For some, cruising is our passion and we look forward to cruiseships visiting our city.

Will surfing die if we have a cruise terminal? Of course not. It’s not a case of one or the other, surely the two can co-exist.

The opportunities arising from the opening of a cruise terminal on the Gold Coast are enormous and must not be derailed by minority groups or shelved because of perceived difficulties with the location of a pier.

Many smaller ports such as Newcastle, Wollongong, Eden, Airlie Beach and Mooloolaba are doing all they can to welcome cruise ships.

The resultant spin-off is not only in jobs and dollars spent, but in advertising their towns, cities and regions to the world.

The Gold Coast is ideally placed, two nights sailing from Sydney. Brisbane, even with the promised new terminal at Luggage Point, lacks the wow factor, with its location over 20km from the city and in a none-too-appealing area.

After Sydney, it’s a bit of a letdown. Few passengers arriving in Brisbane come to the Gold Coast.

The Gold Coast would present an exciting and inviting skyline. We might even find a few passengers attracted to surfing!

Sure, we need to study prevailing winds and the impact of strong winds on the slab sides of huge ships. This problem, however, shouldn’t be insurmountable.

Figures suggest that Australian cruise passenger numbers could reach two million by 2020.

Does the Gold Coast buy a piece of the action or do we leave it to other ports with few of the many attractions we have to offer? GAVIN HARPER, HOPE ISLAND

TO say the jetty would be no risk to wildlife is just a joke (Massive jetty ‘no risk to wildlife’, GCB, 21/3/17)!

I would like to talk to the ecologist who did the report! Hopefully he will be there at the community consultation sessions on Sunday.

Plus the plans to fuel 150 ships by barge floated from Brisbane! How dangerous is that to the Broadwater, the increase in traffic.

Doesn’t it make more sense for these ships just to go to Brisbane where they go now and bus the people down? ROBYN SULLIVAN, GOLD COAST

WHY do people of different culture who come to our country ask us to respect their culture while disrespecting ours? ROD WATSON, MAIN BEACH