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 Shane Gould in June 2014 | ||||||||||||||
| Waterway | Sydney Harbour, Parramatta River | |||||||||||||
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| Owner | Sydney Ferries | |||||||||||||
| Operator | Transdev Sydney Ferries | |||||||||||||
| System length | 20 wharves, 27km | |||||||||||||
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Parramatta River ferry services connect suburbs along the Parramatta River in Sydney with Circular Quay by commuter ferry. The services are numbered F3 and form part of the Sydney Ferries network.
Regular ferry services between Sydney and Parramatta began 2 June 1831, with the first steam ferry named Surprise. [1] Early ferry services between Sydney Cove and Parramatta used paddle steamers. [2]
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. [3] 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. [4] [5] [6] [7]
At one time, the New South Wales Government was keen to make extensive use of ferry transport to Sydney Olympic Park for the 2000 Summer Olympics. Although the Sydney Olympic Park ferry wharf was built and opened on 22 September 1997, at the western tip of Homebush Bay, its distance from the Olympic facilities meant that Olympic spectators were largely encouraged to use buses and trains.
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 ferry wharf serves Darling Harbour. The wharf is wheelchair-accessible.
Balmain ferry wharf 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 ferry wharf serves Cockatoo Island. The wharf is wheelchair-accessible.
Drummoyne ferry wharf serves the suburb of Drummoyne and is located on Wolseley Street. The wharf is wheelchair-accessible.
Huntleys Point ferry wharf serves the suburb of Gladesville and is located on Huntleys Point Road. The wharf is wheelchair-accessible.
Chiswick ferry wharf serves the suburb of Chiswick 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).
Abbotsford ferry wharf 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 438X 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. [8]
Cabarita ferry wharf 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. [9] The wharf is wheelchair-accessible. The wharf is served by bus route 466 to Ashfield railway station via Burwood and Strathfield, and route 502 to City Town Hall via Five Dock and Drummoyne via Victoria Rd.
Kissing Point ferry wharf is located in Kissing Point Park. The wharf is wheelchair-accessible. The wharf is served by bus route 507 to City Town Hall via Gladesville and Drummoyne via Victoria Rd.
Meadowbank ferry wharf 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 518 to Macquarie University via Ryde. Carlingford.
Sydney Olympic Park ferry wharf serves the suburbs of Sydney Olympic Park and Wentworth Point, 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, and served the RiverCat service which brought the Olympic Torch to the Olympic Stadium for the Opening Ceremony. It now serves residents of Wentworth Point. 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.
Rydalmere ferry wharf opened in 1992, this wharf serves the suburb of Rydalmere and is located on John Street. The wharf is wheelchair-accessible.
Parramatta ferry wharf opened in 1992, this wharf serves the city of Parramatta and is located on Charles Street. The wharf is wheelchair-accessible. Services between Rydalmere and Parramatta are replaced by buses during extreme low tides. [10]
The following table shows the patronage of Sydney Ferries network for the year ending 30 June 2022.
| 1 716 000 |
| |||
| 542 000 | ||||
| 1 067 000 | ||||
| 1 216 000 | ||||
| 244 000 | ||||
| 353 000 | ||||
| 106 000 | ||||
| 269 000 | ||||
| 624 000 |
The Inner West of Sydney is an area directly west of the Sydney central business district, New South Wales, Australia. The suburbs that make up the Inner West are predominantly located along the southern shore of Port Jackson, stretching south to the shores of the Cooks River. The western boundary of the Inner West is approximately the A3 arterial road, which divides the Inner West from the Greater Western Sydney region. The Inner West is much larger than the Inner West Council local government area. The Inner West roughly corresponds with the Parish of Petersham and Parish of Concord, two cadastral divisions used for land titles.
Strathfield railway station is a heritage-listed railway station located on the Main Suburban line in the Sydney suburb of Strathfield in the Municipality of Strathfield local government area of New South Wales, Australia. The station is served by Sydney Trains T1 North Shore & Western Line, T9 Northern Line and T2 Inner West & Leppington Line suburban services as well as NSW TrainLink Intercity and regional services. The station is located on the Main Northern and Main Western railway lines, forming a major junction for regional and suburban rail services. The station and associated infrastructure was added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 2 April 1999.
Meadowbank railway station is located on the Main Northern line, serving the Sydney suburb of Meadowbank. It is served by Sydney Trains T9 Northern Line services.
Meadowbank is a suburb of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Meadowbank is located 15 kilometres north west of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the City of Ryde and part of the Northern Sydney region. Meadowbank sits in a valley on the northern bank of the Parramatta River.
Concord is a suburb in the inner West of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. It is 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) west of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the City of Canada Bay. Concord West is a separate suburb, to the north-west.
Cabarita is a bayside suburb in the Inner West of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Cabarita is located 16 kilometres west of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the City of Canada Bay.
Chiswick is a suburb in the Inner West of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. It is located 9 kilometres west of the Sydney central business district in the local government area of the City of Canada Bay. Chiswick sits on the peninsula between Abbotsford Bay and Five Dock Bay, on the Parramatta River. It is surrounded by the suburbs of Abbotsford, Russell Lea and Drummoyne.
Enfield is a suburb in the Inner West of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. It is 11 kilometres south-west of the Sydney central business district in the local government area of Municipality of Burwood.
Burwood railway station is a heritage-listed railway station located on the Main Suburban line in the Sydney suburb of Burwood in the Municipality of Burwood local government area of New South Wales, Australia. The station is served by Sydney Trains T9 Northern line and T2 Inner West & Leppington line services.
Meadowbank ferry wharf is located on the northern side of the Parramatta River serving the Sydney suburb of Meadowbank.
Sydney Olympic Park ferry wharf is located on the southern side of the Parramatta River serving the Sydney suburb of Wentworth Point.
Rydalmere ferry wharf is located on the northern side of the Parramatta River serving the Sydney suburb of Rydalmere.
Double Bay ferry services connect wharves in Sydney's Eastern Suburbs with Circular Quay by commuter ferry. The services are provided by Sydney Ferries, an agency of the Government of New South Wales. The route is coloured dark green on the current Sydney Ferries network map. SuperCats are the primary vessel on the route with some Double Bay services operated by First Fleet ferries.
Parramatta ferry wharf is located near the source of the Parramatta River, serving the Sydney satellite city of Parramatta.
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 served by RiverCat class ferries. The wharf was opened on 20 January 2000 in conjunction with improved transport services to Homebush Bay for the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games.
Bayview Park ferry wharf is a commuter wharf located in the Sydney suburb of Concord, New South Wales, on Hen & Chicken Bay. It is situated adjacent the namesake Bayview Park reserve, and upon the site of the historical Burwood ferry wharf, where Canadian exiles from the 19th century Lower Canada Rebellion landed in Sydney. Bayview Park was originally serviced by a Matilda Cruises route, before being included on Sydney Ferries' Parramatta River service in 2006, after a brief one-year service by Palm Beach Ferries. Services to the wharf were decommissioned by Sydney Ferries in October 2013, alongside Balmain West after patronage declined to a weekly average of 28 passengers. No operators currently service the wharf, although the structure still remains, with plans to return private ferry services to the wharf as part of a redevelopment project for a factory in eastern Concord.
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 served by RiverCat class ferries.
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 and Parramatta. The single wharf is served by First Fleet and RiverCat class ferries.
Drummoyne 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 Quay and Parramatta. The single wharf is served by RiverCat class ferries.
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 western shore of Homebush Bay on the southern side of the Parramatta River. Wentworth Point is usually regarded as part of the Greater Western Sydney region, including in administrative contexts, but it is also regarded as part of the Inner West region of Sydney in some contexts, especially commercial contexts.
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