ELDERLY cruise passengers, some in their 90s, are having to lug their own luggage through the Fremantle terminal after the port stopped providing trolleys in December.

Graham Goodes, 79, and his 87-year-old sister, recently arrived home exhausted and 12 hours late, at night, after a 35-day cruise on The Astor.

“My sister nearly tore the bottom off her bag dragging it through the terminal,” says Mr Goodes, who lives in Hamilton Hill.

“It was a disgrace. We had a 90-year-old friend with us and she could barely lift a fly.

“The majority of people on the cruise were all pensioners, so you can imagine the scene.

“There were lots of people complaining.”

• Carol Goodes with some of the bag she had to lug through Fremantle terminal. Photo by Matthew Dwyer

Mr Goodes’ wife Carol — a mere 69 — helped cart the luggage, which included a self-assembly boat he’d bought on the trip.

Port public relations boss Ainslie de Vos says the trolley service ended because of congestion and dumping in the city. The move has not gone down well and the port concedes it’s receiving complaints. Ms De Vos says porters are normally on hand to assist passengers with luggage but, “the late arrival of the Astor” did “impact significantly on availability of porter assistance”.

Ms Goodes says the port facilities are outdated compared to those in Hong Kong, Singapore and Vietnam, which she’d visited.

“There’s no proper duty-free or decent shops,” she says. “The terminal needs a good clean-up and revamp.

“Visitors have to go into the city if they want to buy anything worthwhile.”

by STEPHEN POLLOCK