Australia Ferries: Tasmania, Sydney Harbour & Island Crossings

The only passenger and vehicle ferry across Bass Strait between mainland Australia and Tasmania. Since 2022 it sails from Geelong, south-west of Melbourne, rather than from Melbourne’s Station Pier.

The vehicle ferry to Kangaroo Island, South Australia’s wildlife island, from the tip of the Fleurieu Peninsula. Taking a car or campervan is the best way to explore the island’s national parks, sea lion colonies and wineries.

The fast ferry from Fremantle to Rottnest Island, home of the quokka and car-free beaches. Most visitors hire a bike on arrival; sailings also leave from Perth’s Barrack Street Jetty and Hillarys Boat Harbour.

The only public link to Bruny Island, SeaLink’s vehicle ferry shuttles across the D’Entrecasteaux Channel from Kettering, south of Hobart, to Roberts Point on North Bruny. Most visitors bring a car to tour the island’s cheese, oyster and lighthouse stops.

Encounter Maria Island runs the official passenger ferry from Triabunna on Tasmania’s east coast to Darlington, the historic convict settlement at the heart of car-free Maria Island National Park, known for wombats, the Painted Cliffs and cycling trails.

Western Port Ferries links Stony Point on the Mornington Peninsula with Tankerton Jetty on French Island, a largely national-park island with koalas, bird life and quiet cycling roads that most visitors explore on foot or by bike.

A foot-passenger shortcut across Western Port from the Mornington Peninsula to Cowes, Phillip Island’s main town, avoiding the long drive around the bay to the island’s penguin parade, beaches and Grand Prix circuit.

SeaLink’s passenger and vehicle ferries cross Moreton Bay from Cleveland to Dunwich on Minjerribah (North Stradbroke Island), gateway to Point Lookout’s surf beaches, whale watching and the North Gorge walk.

SeaLink’s fast passenger ferry links Townsville with Nelly Bay on Magnetic Island, a mostly national-park island with koalas in the wild, granite headlands and bays reached by the island bus.

SeaLink’s vehicle ferry crosses the Great Sandy Strait from River Heads, 20 minutes south of Hervey Bay, to Kingfisher Bay Resort on the western shore of K’gari, the world’s largest sand island and a UNESCO World Heritage area explored by 4WD.

Tangalooma Island Resort’s passenger ferry runs from Holt Street Wharf in Pinkenba across Moreton Bay to Tangalooma on Moreton Island (Mulgumpin), carrying resort guests and day-cruise visitors to the wrecks, sand dunes and wild dolphin feeding.

A 45-minute catamaran transfer from Cairns to Green Island, a coral cay inside Great Barrier Reef Marine Park with rainforest boardwalks, snorkelling off the beach and glass-bottom boat tours.

The Fitzroy Island Flyer links Cairns with Welcome Bay on Fitzroy Island, a national-park island with fringing reef, rainforest walks to the summit lighthouse and a turtle rehabilitation centre.

Cruise Whitsundays’ Resort Connections catamarans run from Port of Airlie to Hamilton Island Marina, the main resort island in the Whitsundays; some sailings go direct, others call at Daydream Island or Hamilton Island Airport.

Rottnest Express sails from Perth’s Barrack Street Jetty down the Swan River and out to Rottnest Island, home of the quokka, a car-free island of bays and bike trails off Fremantle.

Translink route F50 is a 10-minute hop from Victoria Point in Redland City to Coochiemudlo Island, a small Moreton Bay island known for its sandy beaches and bushland walks.

The SMBI passenger ferry links Redland Bay Marina with Russell Island, the largest of the Southern Moreton Bay Islands, with most services looping via Macleay, Lamb and Karragarra islands.

12Go lists 16 departures a day between 06:30 and 19:00 from Airlie Beach to Daydream Island, run by Cruise Whitsundays, taking about 30m. Bookaway lists 1 operator with departures from 06:30 to 19:00, taking 30m – 1h 30m. Cruise Whitsundays publishes a Resort Connections timetable as a PDF (valid from 17 June 2026), but its columns can’t be read reliably by machine, so the times on this page are the booking site’s. The times are the booking site's: check yours before you travel.

12Go lists 13 departures a day between 08:35 and 17:20 from Hamilton Island to Daydream Island, run by Cruise Whitsundays, taking 35m – 1h 20m. Bookaway lists 1 operator with departures from 08:50 to 17:30, taking 35m – 1h 41m. Cruise Whitsundays publishes a Resort Connections timetable as a PDF (valid from 17 June 2026), but its columns can’t be read reliably by machine, so the times on this page are the booking site’s. The times are the booking site's: check yours before you travel.

Cruise Whitsundays runs four Resort Connections ferries a day from Shute Harbour, east of Airlie Beach, to Hamilton Island Marina: 6:30am, 8:00am (via Hamilton Island Airport), 1:40pm and 4:55pm, taking 35 to 40 minutes. Boats back to Shute Harbour leave Hamilton Island at 7:15am, 12:15pm, 4:15pm and 5:35pm.