Parramatta River ferry service

The Parramatta River ferry service is a special boat ride that helps people travel along the Parramatta River in Sydney. It connects different neighborhoods to a busy place called Circular Quay. People can ride these ferries to get to work, school, or just for fun.

This ferry service is called F3 and is part of the bigger Sydney Ferries network. It makes it easy for everyone to explore the beautiful river and enjoy the sights along the way.

History

Regular ferry services between Sydney and Parramatta started on June 2, 1831, with the first steam ferry named Surprise. These early ferries used paddle steamers to travel between Sydney Cove and Parramatta.

Because of pollution and changes in ferry design, services stopped going west of Meadowbank in 1928. But after cleaning the river and introducing new RiverCat catamarans, services resumed to Rydalmere and Parramatta in December 1993.

For the 2000 Summer Olympics, a new ferry stop was built at Sydney Olympic Park, but it was far from the Olympic sites, so most people used buses and trains instead.

In September 2006, a new ferry service began from Bayview Park Wharf to Darling Harbour, later moving to Circular Quay in 2011. Bayview Park Wharf stopped being used in October 2013.

From 2013 to 2021, all the stops along the Parramatta River were made easier to access for everyone.

On June 26, 2017, Barangaroo wharf opened to replace Darling Harbour King Street Wharf 3.

In 2021, 10 new ferries were built to replace older ones and increase how often ferries ran. The last of the old ferries stopped running on July 26, 2023.

Between 2024 and 2025, 7 new Parramatta River-class ferries were built to replace the RiverCats. As of January 2026, all 7 of these new ferries are in service, and the last RiverCat stopped running on March 9, 2026.

In August 2025, Balmain West wharf reopened after being closed for 12 years and was added to the F3 Parramatta service.

All stops on the F3 route are now easy for everyone to use.

Wharves

Peak only/late night wharves

Former Wharves

Wharves served by the F3 ferry

Name	Waterway	Suburbs served	Connections	Information on Wharf	Photo of Wharf
Circular Quay ferry wharf	Sydney Cove	Sydney CBD The Rocks	F1 F2 F4 F5 F6 F7 F8 F9	Circular Quay is a major transport hub in Sydney, situated on Sydney Cove. It features a large wharf complex, a train station, a light rail stop, and bus connections on Alfred St. 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, and as Sydney's main tourist attraction point. Sydney Ferries services use wharves 2, 3, 4 and 5 at Circular Quay. Each wharf has ticket vending machines, ticket barriers, is staffed and is wheelchair-accessible.
Barangaroo ferry wharf	Darling Harbour	Darling Harbour	F4 F10	Barangaroo ferry wharf serves Darling Harbour and the Barangaroo precinct, with a pedestrian link to Wynyard train station and light rail stop. The Barangaroo Metro station is also a short walk away. Barangaroo features two large wharves (with two berths on each side) - namely Wharf 1 and Wharf 2 - and F3 services typically use Wharf 1.
Cockatoo Island ferry wharf	Parramatta River	Cockatoo Island	F8	Cockatoo Island ferry wharf serves Cockatoo Island. Connections to other F8 wharves of Woolwich, Greenwich Point, Birchgrove and Balmain can be made here. Cockatoo Island features two berths.
Drummoyne ferry wharf		Drummoyne	No connections	Drummoyne ferry wharf serves the suburb of Drummoyne and is located on Wolseley Street, Drummoyne.
Huntleys Point ferry wharf		Huntleys Point		Huntleys Point ferry wharf serves the suburb of Huntleys Point and is located on Huntleys Point Road, Huntleys Point.
Chiswick		Chiswick		Chiswick ferry wharf serves the suburb of Chiswick and is located on Bortfield Drive, Chiswick. Bus connections that are a short walk away are 415 and 504.
Abbotsford ferry wharf		Abbotsford		Abbotsford ferry wharf serves the suburb of Abbotsford and is located on Great North Road, Abbotsford. A bus connection that is a short walk away is 438X/438N.
Cabarita ferry wharf		Cabarita		Cabarita ferry wharf serves the suburbs of Cabarita and Breakfast Point, and is located in Cabarita Park. A bus connection is 502, and 466 only a short walk away. Cabarita features two berths.
Kissing Point ferry wharf		Kissing Point		Kissing Point ferry wharf serves the suburb of Putney and is located in Kissing Point Park.
Meadowbank ferry wharf		Meadowbank		Meadowbank ferry wharf was the westernmost point in the Sydney ferry network until 1992. The wharf serves the suburb of Meadowbank and is located on Bowden Street, Meadowbank. A bus connection is 518.
Sydney Olympic Park ferry wharf		Wentworth Point		Sydney Olympic Park ferry wharf serves the suburbs of Sydney Olympic Park and Wentworth Point, and is located on Hill Rd, Sydney Olympic Park. 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 and the neighbouring Rhodes. A bus connection is 526. The wharf features two berths and the majority of ferry services terminate here.
Rydalmere ferry wharf		Rydalmere		Rydalmere ferry wharf opened in 1992, and serves the suburb of Rydalmere and is located on John Street, Rydalmere. A bus connection a short walk away is 524.
Parramatta ferry wharf		Parramatta		Parramatta ferry wharf opened in 1992, and wharf serves the city of Parramatta and is located on the corner of Phillip and Charles Street, Parramatta. The wharf was upgraded in 2019 and surrounding precinct of Charles Street Square was given an upgrade in 2023. The free 900 shuttle bus to the CBD also depart from Phillip St at this wharf. Services between Rydalmere and Parramatta are replaced by buses during extreme low tides.

Name	Waterway	Suburbs served	Connections	Information on wharf	Photo of Wharf
Milsons Point	Lavender Bay	Milsons Point	F4	(Morning Peak services to Circular quay) (Evening Peak services to Chiswick via Balmain) (Evening Peak services to Sydney Olympic Park and Rydalmere running express between Mcmahons Point and Abbotsford
McMahons Point		McMahons Point
Balmain	Mort Bay	Balmain	F8	(Morning Peak services to Circular Quay via Milsons Point) (Evening Peak services to Chiswick)
Balmain East	Darling Harbour	Balmain East	F4	(Late-night 7 day a week services to Circular Quay from Sydney Olympic Park ferry)
Balmain West	Iron Cove	Balmain West	No Connections	(Morning Peak services to Barangaroo from Chiswick) (Evening Peak services to Chiswick)

Name	Waterway	Suburbs served	Wharf closed	Information on Wharf	Photo of wharf
Darling Harbour King Street Wharf 3	Darling Harbour	Darling Harbour	26 June 2017	Darling Harbour King Street Wharf 3 was the former interchange in Darling Harbour for Pyrmont Bay and Parramatta River services until 26 June 2017, when it was replaced by Barangaroo wharf.
Bayview Park wharf	Hen and Chicken Bay	Concord	October 2013	Bayview Park ferry wharf commenced services from Bayview to Darling Harbour in September 2006, later to Circular Quay in 2011, and ceased in October 2013.

Patronage

The following table shows how many people used the Sydney Ferries network in the year ending 30 June 2022.

Fleet

As of March 2026, there are 10 River class and 7 Parramatta River class ferries operating the F3 Parramatta River service.

The River-class ferries started in 2021, and the Parramatta River-class ferries began in 2024.

Former Fleet

Previously, there were First Fleet-class ferries from 1984 to 1992, HarbourCat class ferries from 1998 to 2023, and RiverCat-class ferries from 1992 to 2026.