The Wymah Ferry is a

cable ferry A cable ferry (including the terms chain ferry, swing ferry, floating bridge, or punt) is a ferry that is guided (and in many cases propelled) across a river or large body of water by cables connected to both shores. Early cable ferries often ...

across the upper reach of

Lake Hume Hume Dam, formerly the Hume Weir, is a major dam across the Murray River downstream of its junction with the Mitta River in the Riverina region of New South Wales, Australia. The dam's purpose includes flood mitigation, hydro-power, irrigation ...

, on the

Murray River The Murray River (in South Australia: River Murray) (Ngarrindjeri: ''Millewa'', Yorta Yorta: ''Tongala'') is a river in Southeastern Australia. It is Australia's longest river at extent. Its tributaries include five of the next six longest ...

and on the border between the Australian states of

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

and

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychelle ...

. The ferry crosses from the community of

Wymah Wymah is a rural community in the south-east part of the Riverina very close to the border of Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia. It is situated by road, about south of Bowna, New South Wales, Bowna and west of Talmalmo, New South Wale ...

on the New South Wales side of the river, to

Granya Granya is a town in northeastern Victoria, Australia on the Murray arm of Lake Hume in the Towong Shire local government area, northwest of the state capital, Melbourne. The town was established in the 1860s following a gold rush A gold ru ...

, and is approximately east of

Albury Albury () is a major regional city in New South Wales, Australia. It is located on the Hume Highway and the northern side of the Murray River. Albury is the seat of local government for the council area which also bears the city's name – the ...

. The ferry is controlled by

Transport for NSW Transport for NSW, sometimes abbreviated to TfNSW, and pronounced as Transport for New South Wales, is an agency of the New South Wales Government established on 1 November 2011, and is the leading transport and roads agency in New South Wales, ...

, but is jointly funded by both states. It operates seven days a week, and is free of tolls. From September to April, the ferry operates on demand from 06:00 to 21:00, and from 07:00 to 20:00 for the rest of the year, with several breaks during the day. If the ferry is not in operation, the alternatives are an detour downstream via the Bethanga Bridge and Albury, or a detour upstream via

Jingellic Jingellic is a small town that straddles the boundaries of the Greater Hume Shire and Snowy Valleys Council local government areas in the South West Slopes region of New South Wales, Australia. The town is located near a crossing on the upper ...

. The ferry route probably dates back to the 19th century. When the

Hume Dam Hume Dam, formerly the Hume Weir, is a major dam across the Murray River downstream of its junction with the Mitta River in the Riverina region of New South Wales, Australia. The dam's purpose includes flood mitigation, hydro-power, irrigation, ...

was completed in 1936, the range of the ferry had to be increased in order to cross the raised and widened water level of Lake Hume. The previous ferry boat was constructed principally of wood, and built in 1946. The hull was long and wide, with long landing ramps at each end. The engine house was cantilevered approximately out to the side. Because of the variation in the water level in Lake Hume, the ferry operated between floating landing stages which are attached to each bank. The position of the landing stages was adjusted by hand winch to suit the level of the water. It was retired on 14 May 2013 and replaced by a new vessel. The Wymah Ferry is one of only two cable ferries to cross the section of the Murray River between New South Wales and Victoria, the other being the

Speewa Ferry The Speewa Ferry is a cable ferry across the Murray River on the border between the Australian states of New South Wales and Victoria. The ferry is located in the community of Speewa, Victoria, approximately north of Swan Hill, off the road betw ...

nearly downstream. However, there are another 11 such ferries further downstream, on the

South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a state in the southern central part of Australia. It covers some of the most arid parts of the country. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories ...

n section of the river. In April 2019 the service was suspended due to low water levels.Wymah ferry suspension cuts off communities and hurts farmers
''Border Mail'' 19 April 2019

References

External links

RMS vehicle ferry operation information

RMS heritage information on Wymah Ferry
{{coord, -36.039817, 147.265613, region:AU_type:landmark, display=title Cable ferries in Australia Crossings of the Murray River Ferries of New South Wales

See also

References

External links