FERRY:

WHEN my alarm goes off at 5am I am tempted to switch it off, roll over and call the whole “commuter experience” experiment off.

But, realising this could jeopardise my job, I reluctantly get up and start getting ready for the long commute.

I leave my house at 5.30am, detour via a coffee shop and park my car in central Geelong. By 6am on the dot I am outside the Geelong Advertiser office, as planned.

In the “battle of the transport” I have already lost the time race because, unlike my car and train-travelling colleagues, I have to backtrack 30 minutes to Portarlington.

So I quickly book an Uber, which arrives within four minutes, and by 6.10am I am on the road to Portarlington.

My chatty, pleasant and slightly bemused driver makes the trip go quickly and by 6.37 I am at Portarlington pier ready for takeoff.

With 20 minutes until departure time I am the first person at the ferry terminal.

The staff are pleasant and welcoming, and I quickly have my ticket and am on board.

My train-commuting colleague is already at Sunshine — but unlike the squashed train passengers I have a seaside view, a row to myself and a freshly made coffee in hand.

I sit back, relax and start reading my book.

The journey is smooth sailing and peaceful.

The people on board are friendly. The regulars are greeted by name at the coffee counter and others quickly strike up conversations with their fellow passengers.

Some more bleary eyed passengers are left to sleep and rest during the voyage.

About halfway through the journey I meet city worker Paul Ineson.

The St Leonards local has been using the ferry four times a week for the past 18 months and couldn’t be happier. At one point I overhear him speaking on the phone to a friend urging them to give the ferry a go.

“I used to drive to North Geelong and catch the train from there,” Mr Ineson said.

“It took me longer that way than now. It’s awesome.”

Mr Ineson used to catch the ferry several years ago but said the new services were much faster, reliable and more comfortable.

“The bigger ferry and changes to speed restrictions changed the commute from 1 hour 30 minutes to 1 hour and 20 minutes,” he said.

“It’s just so beautiful watching the sun rise, it’s a pretty smooth experience and you have Wi-Fi available.

“You also don’t have to struggle for a seat and by not having to drive (to the station) I am saving petrol. “It’s very relaxing.” Just before 8am we move toward the city and come through Melbourne port.

The view from the outside viewing platform is beautiful but as we move under the West Gate Bridge speed restrictions hit and the ferry seems to be barely moving.

By about 8.15am we move directly into Docklands and the ferry moves swiftly into its terminal.

Relaxed, I disembark quickly and walk up toward Spencer St for the final leg of my journey. I jump on a tram and finally — an hour after my colleagues arrived — make it to our designated meeting point at the GPO.

While my colleagues arrived far more quickly, my experience seemed the least stressful and most comfortable. For Geelong commuters the journey, including travelling to Portarlington, is probably not worth it but for Portarlington locals the ferry seems a stress-free and viable option.