Sydney Ferries, the NSW Government Department of Transport agency has been operating Ferry services on Sydney Harbour and its related waterways since 1875.
However, Sydney Ferries can chase its roots all the way back to the First Fleet in 1789 when a ferry service operated between Sydney Cove and Parramatta farming settlement.
The first ferry was called the Rose Hill Packet and it was built by convicts and powered by sails and oars. The one-way trip to Parramatta usually took one week to complete. That's some commute!
As time progressed rowboat ferrymen set up small operations to transport people from either side of the harbour. Then in 1861 the North Shore Ferry Company was established becoming the first commercially operated ferry service. In 1899 ferry services integrated into Sydney Ferries limited becoming the worlds largest ferry operator.
When the Sydney Harbour Bridge was built and business dropped by more than half, the NSW Government agreed to take over Sydney Ferries Limited in 1951. Then in 2004 Sydney Ferries Corporation was formed out of the State Transit Authority.
There have been a few accidents involving Sydney Ferries over the years with some fatalities.
In January 2007 the Dawn Fraser crashed into a dinghy killing one man however it was later that year in March 2007 when the worst Ferry crash occurred directly underneath the Sydney Harbour Bridge.
The Harbour Cat Pam Burridge collided with a private vessel the Merinda which did not have the required amount of navigating lights and did not keep a proper lookout. Four people were killed in the accident.
With such focus on the ferries that year Premier Morris Iemma appointed Bret Walker to undertake an Inquiry into the operation of the ferries. His report was quite scathing of the management and ordered an urgent replacement of all of the current vessels as well as handing the operations over to the private sector.
Whilst a private operator took over the high speed jet cat service in 2009, the NSW Government decided to keep the operations with Sydney Ferries in 2010.
It is reported that over 14 million people ride the ferries every year.
The major highlight of the Australia Day festivities is the Ferryathon regatta where the ferries race on Sydney Harbour.
Get a day tripper and cruise cheaply to all the destinations within the inner harbour or afar. Catch the Manly ferry and sway side to side as you pass the 'heads' or get the river cat all the way to Parramatta. Don't worry, it only takes one hour, not one week! :-)
The best way to see Sydney today as it has throughout Sydney's young history.
J G S
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