Sydney Ferries - History

History

Sydney Ferries can trace its roots as far back as the arrival of the First Fleet at Sydney Cove where in 1789, the first ferry service was established from the Cove to the farming settlement of Parramatta.

The first ferry, officially named the Rose Hill Packet (otherwise known as 'The Lump'), was crafted by convicts and powered by sails and oars. Trips inland from Sydney Cove to Parramatta typically took up to one week to complete. As time progressed, a series of rowboat ferrymen set up small operations to transport people from either side of Sydney Harbour.

In 1861, the North Shore Ferry Company was established which operated the very first commercial ferry service across Sydney Harbour.

In 1899, ferry services were integrated into Sydney Ferries Limited, which became the world's largest ferry operator by fleet size. After the Sydney Harbour Bridge opened on 19 March 1932, ferry patronage dropped almost overnight, decreasing from 30 to 13 million passengers per year.

In 1951, the NSW Government intervened in response to the financial difficulty of the operator and agreed to take over Sydney Ferries Limited.

In 2004, Sydney Ferries Corporation was formed out of the State Transit Authority. On 1 January 2009, Sydney Ferries became a NSW Government agency. In 2012, Sydney Ferries was franchised by the NSW Government to Veolia Transdev and Transfield Services under the name 'Harbour City Ferries'.