Circular Quay Ferry Wharf is a complex of wharves at
Circular Quay, on
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 ...
, that serves as the hub for the
Sydney Harbour
Port Jackson, consisting of the waters of Sydney Harbour, Middle Harbour, North Harbour and the Lane Cove and Parramatta Rivers, is the ria or natural harbour of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. The harbour is an inlet of the Tasman Sea (p ...
ferry network.
Layout
The Circular Quay ferry wharf complex consists of five double-sided wharves at 90 degrees to the shoreline, numbered 2 to 6. Wharves 3 to 5 are used exclusively by
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 ...
, wharf 2 west is used by Sydney Ferries, wharf 2 east is used by
Manly Fast Ferries by while wharf 6 is used by other operators including
Captain Cook Cruises. Each wharf has ticket selling facilities on both sides of the barriers as most other wharves do not have such facilities.
On the eastern side alongside
Bennelong Apartments
The Bennelong Apartments is a residential apartment building and multi-use complex on the east side of Sydney's Circular Quay. The buildings were designed by Andrew Andersons and PTW Architects, and completed in 1998.
The Bennelong Apartments c ...
, is the ''Eastern Pontoon'' used by charter operators. On the western side, lie the ''Commissioners Steps'' and ''Harbour Masters Steps'' that are used by charter operators and water taxis.
When the
Port Jackson & Manly Steamship Company introduced
hydrofoils to the
Manly service in the mid-1960s, a pontoon was attached to the eastern side of wharf 2 to allow the hydrofoils to berth without their foils fouling the wharf. This was removed when the hydrofoils were replaced by
JetCats in 1991.
Wharf 3 is exclusively used by ferries on the Manly service. When the
Freshwater class ferries were introduced in the 1980s, the wharf was rebuilt to accommodate their onboard gangways. It has a mezzanine level allowing ferries to disembark passengers from their upper decks. It also houses an office for
Transdev Sydney Ferries. To better accommodate the larger ferries, wharf 3 is built higher from the water and this combined with differently configured
Opal card readers and gates, means only Manly ferries can use the wharf.
Wharves 2 West, 4 and 5 are used interchangeably by Sydney Ferries.
Ferry services
Interchanges
The Circular Quay ferry wharf complex is adjacent to an
elevated railway station of the same name. The station is served by
Sydney Trains services on the
Airport & South Line,
Inner West & Leppington Line and the
Bankstown Line.
South of the railway station is the Alfred Street bus terminus. A number of
Transdev John Holland routes originate from there while two
Big Bus Tours
Big Bus Tours (formerly ''Les Cars Rouges'' and ''The Big Bus Company''), is the largest operator of open top bus sightseeing tours founded in May 2011 after "Les Cars Rouges" and the "Big Bus Company" merged. The company operates in 23 citie ...
routes depart from
George Street just north of Alfred Street. There is also the terminus of the L2 and L3
Sydney Light Rail services, located west of the bus terminus, but still on Alfred Street.
References
External links
Circular Quayat Transport for New South Wales
(Archive
10 June 2019
Circular Quay Public Transport MapTransport for NSW
{{Transport for New South Wales ferry wharves, Manly=y, Taronga Zoo=y, Parramatta River=y, Pyrmont Bay=y, Neutral Bay=y, Mosman Bay=y, Double Bay=y, Cockatoo Island=y, Watsons Bay=y, state=collapsed
Ferry wharves in Sydney