Parramatta River ferry services connect suburbs along the

Parramatta River The Parramatta River is an intermediate tide-dominated, drowned valley estuary located in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. With an average depth of , the Parramatta River is the main tributary of Sydney Harbour, a branch of Port Jackson. Se ...

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mounta ...

with

Circular Quay Circular Quay is a harbour, former working port and now international passenger shipping port, public piazza and tourism precinct, heritage area, and transport node located in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia on the northern edge of the Syd ...

by commuter

ferry A ferry is a ship, watercraft or amphibious vehicle used to carry passengers, and sometimes vehicles and cargo, across a body of water. A passenger ferry with many stops, such as in Venice, Italy, is sometimes called a water bus or water ta ...

. The services are numbered F3 and form part of the

Sydney Ferries Sydney Ferries is the public transport ferry network serving the city of Sydney, New South Wales. Services operate on Sydney Harbour and the connecting Parramatta River. The network is controlled by the New South Wales Government's transport a ...

network.

History

Regular ferry services between Sydney and Parramatta began 2 June 1831, with the first steam ferry named ''Surprise''. Early ferry services between

Sydney Cove Sydney Cove (Eora: ) is a bay on the southern shore of Sydney Harbour, one of several harbours in Port Jackson, on the coast of Sydney, New South Wales. Sydney Cove is a focal point for community celebrations, due to its central Sydney locatio ...

and Parramatta used paddle steamers. Due to silting and pollution of the river, Sydney Ferries services on the Parramatta River ceased to serve the wharves west of Meadowbank in 1928. Meanwhile, changes in the design of ferries meant that the deep-hulled vessels were unable to go further upstream than the Meadowbank bridge. However, following dredging work and the introduction of the RiverCat catamarans, the State Transit Authority was able to resume services to Rydalmere and Parramatta in December 1993. At one time, the New South Wales Government was keen to make extensive use of ferry transport to

Sydney Olympic Park Sydney Olympic Park is a suburb of Greater Western Sydney, located 13 kilometres west of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the City of Parramatta Council. It is commonly known as Olympic Park but officially ...

for the

2000 Summer Olympics The 2000 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXVII Olympiad and also known as Sydney 2000 ( Dharug: ''Gadigal 2000''), the Millennium Olympic Games or the Games of the New Millennium, was an international multi-sport event held from ...

. Although the

Sydney Olympic Park ferry wharf Sydney Olympic Park ferry wharf is located on the southern side of the Parramatta River serving the Sydney suburb of Wentworth Point. History Sydney Olympic Park wharf opened on 22 September 1997 to service the Sydney Olympic Park precinct for ...

was built and opened on 22 September 1997, at the western tip of

Homebush Bay Homebush Bay is a bay on the south bank of the Parramatta River, in the west of Sydney, Australia. The name is also sometimes used to refer to an area to the west and south of the bay itself, which was formerly an official suburb of Sydney, ...

, its distance from the Olympic facilities meant that Olympic spectators were largely encouraged to use buses and trains.

Wharves

, , , ,

Circular Quay

Circular Quay is a major Sydney transport hub, with a large ferry, rail and bus interchange. The Cahill Expressway is a prominent feature of the quay, running from the east, over the elevated railway station to join the Sydney Harbour Bridge in the west. Sydney Cove was the site of the initial landing of the First Fleet in Port Jackson. Circular Quay was originally mainly used for shipping and slowly developed into a transport, leisure and recreational centre. Sydney Ferries services use wharves 2, 3, 4 and 5 at Circular Quay. Each wharf has ticket vending machines and ticket barriers, and is wheelchair-accessible.

Barangaroo

Barangaroo ferry wharf Barangaroo ferry wharf is a ferry wharf located on the eastern side of Darling Harbour, in Sydney, Australia. The wharf is the major public transport link of the Barangaroo precinct, situated west of the Sydney central business district. The co ...

serves

Darling Harbour Darling Harbour is a harbour adjacent to the city centre of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia that is made up of a large recreational and pedestrian precinct that is situated on western outskirts of the Sydney central business district. Origin ...

. The wharf is wheelchair-accessible.

Balmain

Balmain ferry wharf Balmain ferry wharf (also known as Thames Street ferry wharf) is located on Sydney Harbour serving the Sydney suburb of Balmain. It is served by Sydney Ferries Cockatoo Island services operating between and , with some peak F3 services opera ...

serves the suburb of Balmain and is located on Thames Street. Balmain is only served by F3 ferries during peak hours and F8 at all times.

Cockatoo Island

Cockatoo Island ferry wharf Cockatoo Island ferry wharf is located on Sydney Harbour serving Cockatoo Island. History When the Cockatoo Island Dockyard was in operation, Sydney Ferries Limited operated services to the island at shift changeover times. In April 2007, t ...

serves Cockatoo Island. The wharf is wheelchair-accessible.

Drummoyne

Drummoyne ferry wharf Drummoyne ferry wharf (also known as Wolseley Street ferry wharf) is located on the southern side of the Parramatta River serving the Sydney suburb of Drummoyne. It served by Sydney Ferries Parramatta River services operating between Circular ...

serves the suburb of

Drummoyne Drummoyne is a suburb in the Inner West of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Drummoyne is six kilometres west of the Sydney central business district and is the administrative center for the local government area of the City o ...

and is located on Wolseley Street. The wharf is wheelchair-accessible.

Huntleys Point

Huntleys Point ferry wharf Huntleys Point ferry wharf (also known as Gladesville ferry wharf) is located on the northern side of the Parramatta River serving the Sydney suburb of Huntleys Point. It served by Sydney Ferries Sydney Ferries is the public transport fer ...

serves the suburb of Gladesville and is located on Huntleys Point Road. The wharf is wheelchair-accessible. Huntley Point ferry wharf

Chiswick

Chiswick ferry wharf Chiswick ferry wharf is located on the southern side of the Parramatta River serving the Sydney suburb of Chiswick. It served by Sydney Ferries Parramatta River services operating between Circular Quay Circular Quay is a harbour, forme ...

serves the suburb of

Chiswick Chiswick ( ) is a district of west London, England. It contains Hogarth's House, the former residence of the 18th-century English artist William Hogarth; Chiswick House, a neo-Palladian villa regarded as one of the finest in England; and F ...

and is located on Bortfield Drive, Chiswick. The wharf is wheelchair-accessible. The wharf is serviced by bus routes 504 (Chiswick to City Domain via Drummoyne and Rozelle) and 415 (Chiswick to Campsie via Five Dock, Burwood, Strathfield and Belfield). File:Chiswick_wharf.jpg, Chiswick Ferry Wharf

Abbotsford

Abbotsford ferry wharf Abbotsford ferry wharf is located on the southern side of the Parramatta River serving the Sydney suburb of Abbotsford. It served by Sydney Ferries Parramatta River services operating between Circular Quay and Parramatta. The single wharf is s ...

serves the suburb of Abbotsford and is located on Great North Road, Abbotsford. The wharf is wheelchair-accessible. The wharf is served by bus route 438 and L38 (peak) to City Martin Place via Leichhardt. A wharf at the present site was the southern end of Bedlam's Ferry, which existed from at least 1834. It was part of the historic route of the historic (and much longer) Great North Road, which continued on the north bank from Bedlam Point Wharf.

Cabarita

Cabarita ferry wharf Cabarita ferry wharf is located on the southern side of the Parramatta River serving the Sydney suburb of Cabarita. It served by Sydney Ferries Parramatta River services operating between Circular Quay and Parramatta. The single wharf is serve ...

serves the suburb of Cabarita and is located on Cabarita Point. As of 2011, it is the busiest and fastest growing wharf on the river. The wharf is wheelchair-accessible. The wharf is served by bus route 466 to Ashfield railway station via Burwood and Strathfield.

Kissing Point

Kissing Point ferry wharf is located in Kissing Point Park. The wharf is wheelchair-accessible. The wharf is served by bus route 507 to Macquarie University via Meadowbank and North Ryde, or Circular Quay via Victoria Road.

Meadowbank

Meadowbank ferry wharf Meadowbank ferry wharf is located on the northern side of the Parramatta River serving the Sydney suburb of Meadowbank. History Prior to the construction of the Ryde Bridge in the 1930s, Ryde wharf, located to the east of Meadowbank wharf at ...

was the westernmost point in the Sydney ferry network until 1992. This wharf serves the suburb of Meadowbank and is located on Bowden Street. The wharf is wheelchair-accessible. The wharf is served by bus route 513 to Carlingford. Image:Meadowbank wharf.JPG, Meadowbank wharf and

Ryde Bridge The Ryde Bridge(s), also called the Uhrs Point Bridge, are two road bridges that carry Concord Road, part of the A3, across Parramatta River from in the northern suburbs of Sydney to in Sydney's inner west, in New South Wales, Australia. The ...

Sydney Olympic Park

serves the

precinct and is located on Bennelong Road. The wharf has a single jetty used for docking of RiverCat ferries. The wharf was built in 1998 for the purpose of serving passengers for the

Sydney 2000 Olympics The 2000 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXVII Olympiad and also known as Sydney 2000 (Dharug: ''Gadigal 2000''), the Millennium Olympic Games or the Games of the New Millennium, was an international multi-sport event held from 1 ...

, and served the RiverCat service which brought the

Olympic Torch The Olympic flame is a symbol used in the Olympic movement. It is also a symbol of continuity between ancient and modern games. Several months before the Olympic Games, the Olympic flame is lit at Olympia, Greece. This ceremony starts the Olym ...

to the

Olympic Stadium ''Olympic Stadium'' is the name usually given to the main stadium of an Olympic Games. An Olympic stadium is the site of the opening and closing ceremonies. Many, though not all, of these venues actually contain the words ''Olympic Stadium'' as ...

for the

Opening Ceremony An opening ceremony, grand opening, or ribbon-cutting ceremony marks the official opening of a newly-constructed location or the start of an event.

. It now serves residents of

Wentworth Point Wentworth Point is a suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. It is located 13 kilometres west of the Sydney central business district, on the eastern edge of the local government area of City of Parramatta. It is on the we ...

. A few services a day terminate at this wharf. The wharf is wheelchair-accessible. The wharf is served by bus route 526 to Rhodes, or Burwood via Strathfield. Image:OlympicParkWharf2.JPG, Sydney Olympic Park, waiting area and parking loop Image:SydneyOlympicPark2.JPG, Sydney Olympic Park, view from Meadowbank

Rydalmere

Rydalmere ferry wharf Rydalmere ferry wharf is located on the northern side of the Parramatta River serving the Sydney suburb of Rydalmere. History Rydalmere wharf was opened in December 1993, when ferry services resumed operating between Meadowbank and Parramat ...

opened in 1992, this wharf serves the suburb of

Rydalmere Rydalmere ''(formerly "Field of Mars")'' is a suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Rydalmere is approximately 21 kilometres west of the Sydney central business district in the local government area of the City of Parram ...

and is located on John Street. The wharf is wheelchair-accessible.

Parramatta

Parramatta ferry wharf Parramatta ferry wharf is located near the source of the Parramatta River, serving the Sydney satellite city of Parramatta. History There has been a wharf at Parramatta since shortly after a settlement was established. The wharf is located nex ...

opened in 1992, this wharf serves the city of

Parramatta Parramatta () is a suburb and major Central business district, commercial centre in Greater Western Sydney, located in the state of New South Wales, Australia. It is located approximately west of the Sydney central business district on the ban ...

and is located on Charles Street. The wharf is wheelchair-accessible. Services between Rydalmere and Parramatta are replaced by buses during extreme low tides.Ferries at low tide and replacement buses
Transport for NSW

Patronage

The following table shows the patronage of Sydney Ferries network for the year ending 30 June 2022.

References

External links

F3 Parramatta River
at Transport for New South Wales
F8 Cockatoo Island
at Transport for New South Wales {{Sydney public transport Ferry transport in Sydney Parramatta River