Hours as published by Port Macquarie-Hastings Council, read 6 October 2026 · Services shown by frequency — exact times from the operator. · Representative services only — check the operator for today's full timetable
Departures 1–10 / 10
Departures 1–10 / 10
Crossing time
~7 min
Operator
Ferrymen
Map – Hibbard Ferry
| Fare type | Price |
|---|---|
| Car, single trip | $9.00 |
| Motorcycle, single trip | $3.00 |
| Caravan or trailer towed behind a car, extra charge per single trip | $9.00 |
| Pedestrians and cyclists | Free |
| Car weekly pass | $49.00 |
| Car monthly pass | $122.00 |
| Resident Concession Sticker (valid for the financial year) | $66.00 |
| Resident car weekly pass (sticker holders) | $16.00 |
| Resident car monthly pass (sticker holders) | $38.00 |
| Resident car annual pass (sticker holders) | $415.00 |
| Resident ticket book, 25 tickets (a car trip uses 1, a motorcycle half of 1) | $26.00 |
Council fares for the 2026/27 financial year, with a review promised from 1 July 2027. The charge is per vehicle and per crossing: people on foot or on a bike ride free. Tickets and passes are bought with cash or electronically; some can be bought ahead and others only on the ferry, and the council publishes no online booking page for this ferry. The annual resident pass is sold only at the council's office at 17 Burrawan Street, Port Macquarie. The council's fare table also prices trucks, but its Hibbard entry carries no truck limit and says Settlement Point is the ferry for trucks and trailers, so no truck fares are listed here. All fares in Australian dollars (AUD).
Hibbard Ferry takes vehicles across the Hastings River between the end of Boundary Street, on the Port Macquarie side, and the end of Riverside Drive on the North Shore. Port Macquarie-Hastings Council maintains the ferry and its landings, and Ferrymen operates it. It is the smaller of the council's two river crossings: the council gives its load as 15 cars a trip, against 21 at Settlement Point, and the 102-tonne heavy-vehicle limit it publishes belongs to Settlement Point alone.
What sets Hibbard apart is that it does not run all day. Outside school holidays the council lists 6am to 9:50am and 2pm to 6:50pm on weekdays, with nothing in between, and 8am to 6:50pm on weekends and public holidays. In NSW school holidays the weekday gap closes and it runs from 6am to 6:50pm. There is no timetable of fixed departures. The council describes a continuous loop that goes when vehicles are waiting, and asks drivers to allow about 15 minutes. It does not run on Christmas Day, and on the fourth Thursday of every month it stops from 10am to 2pm for servicing.
You pay by the vehicle. A car is $9 a crossing in the council's 2026/27 fares and a motorcycle $3, while anyone on foot or on a bike crosses free. Weekly and monthly car passes cost $49 and $122. Council-area residents who buy a $66 Resident Concession Sticker get much cheaper passes, including a $415 annual pass.
Cost and age are part of the story. In a July 2024 letter to the council, the NSW Minister for Regional Transport and Roads wrote that Transport for NSW understood, from information the council supplied, that the Hibbard Ferry was at the end of its life and would need replacing for up to $6 million. She declined to take either Hastings River ferry over. In a letter dated 31 July 2024, thirteen days later, the council's chief executive put a light-vehicle crossing without a resident pass at $8; it is $9 now.
When the ferry is out, the Minister's letter names the alternative as about an hour by Maria River Road and the Pacific Motorway, which she described as a dirt road needing four-wheel drive at that time. Boundary Street itself is being resurfaced from 28 September for around two weeks, with one lane open and a 40 km/h limit, so allow extra time on the approach.
- Arrive at the terminal a few minutes before departure; vehicle boarding usually closes earlier.
- Check the operator's service alerts before travelling — weather, tides and river levels affect services.
- Confirm accepted payment methods and whether a booking is required for vehicles.
Frequently asked questions
Outside NSW school holidays it runs Monday to Friday from 6am to 9:50am and from 2pm to 6:50pm, with no service in between. On weekends and public holidays it runs 8am to 6:50pm. In school holidays the weekday hours become 6am to 6:50pm. It does not run on Christmas Day.
A car pays $9 each way and a motorcycle $3 under the council's 2026/27 fares, with $9 extra for a caravan or trailer. Pedestrians and cyclists are free. A weekly car pass is $49 and a monthly pass $122.
On the fourth Thursday of each month from 10am to 2pm. The next closures are Thursday 22 October, 26 November and 24 December 2026, then 28 January 2027.
On the Port Macquarie side the landing is at the end of Boundary Street, off Hastings River Drive. On the North Shore side it is at the end of Riverside Drive. The council lists these two boarding points and says the crossing takes around five to ten minutes.
The council says it carries 15 cars a trip. Its published 102-tonne limit for trucks and trailers is listed under the Settlement Point ferry, not Hibbard, so heavy vehicles should plan on Settlement Point or ring the council on 02 6581 8111.
Yes, for residents and ratepayers of the council area. A $66 Resident Concession Sticker, valid for the financial year, unlocks a $16 weekly pass, a $38 monthly pass, a $415 annual pass and a 25-ticket book for $26. The council asks for a driver's licence and registration details when you apply.
Subscribe to the council's free Ferry SMS Notification Service, which sends outage and status reports for Hibbard and Settlement Point. The council's ferries page itself shows only the standing hours, so a breakdown will not necessarily appear there.
The Settlement Point Ferry, which the council says runs around the clock apart from its monthly servicing, is the other crossing. By road, the NSW Minister's July 2024 letter put the detour at about an hour via Maria River Road and the Pacific Motorway.