Operating hours published by Transport for NSW (vehicle ferries page), with the monthly maintenance window changing on 1 November 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
~3 min
Operator
Transport for NSW
Map – Lower Portland Ferry
| Fare type | Price |
|---|---|
| All vehicles | Free |
The NSW Government page calls its vehicle ferries a free service, and the Lower Portland entry lists no fare, ticket or booking. Drivers queue at either landing and cross without paying. Transport for NSW has run the ferry since the state took over management from the two councils.
Lower Portland Ferry crosses the Hawkesbury River where the Colo River joins it, and Transport for NSW lists it as one of the links between Windsor and Wisemans Ferry. Unlike Sackville, which Transport for NSW runs through the night, Lower Portland stops overnight. The state's vehicle-ferries page gives three operating blocks, seven days a week: 6am to 10am, 10:30am to 6:30pm and 7pm to 10pm. The ferry therefore stops for half an hour from 10am and again from 6:30pm, and nothing crosses between 10pm and 6am. The Hills Shire Council's page attributes the two breaks to staffing industrial and award conditions.
A monthly maintenance stop sits on top of that. Transport for NSW closes the ferry on the second Wednesday of the month; the window was 9am to 11am and from 1 November 2026 it becomes 9:30am to 1pm. The state page lists the rule rather than dates, so the dated notice at the top of this page gives the next closure, worked out by us from that rule.
The vessel is small. Transport for NSW says it carries 8 cars with a safe load limit of 48 tonnes and takes 3 minutes.
Management is recent news. In April 2024 Hawkesbury City Council and The Hills Shire Council announced that Transport for NSW would take over from 1 October 2024; The Hills Shire Council's page now says the state has been responsible since September 2024. A July 2024 ministerial letter, published in a Port Macquarie council agenda, says the council was not committed to continuing without more money and the ferry faced a risk of being discontinued.
River height is the main unplanned risk. The Hills Shire Council states the ferry is taken out of service when the Hawkesbury reaches 3 metres and rising at Windsor, subject to tides, debris and Colo River inflows, on a page written before the state took the ferry over; no Transport for NSW page repeats that figure. For status, Transport for NSW points drivers to Live Traffic NSW (livetraffic.com, 132 701), and it has been installing mini variable message signs at Lower Portland and Sackville that show the ferry's status before drivers commit. Approach roads are River Road (east) and West Portland Road (west).
- 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
Seven days a week it runs 6am to 10am, 10:30am to 6:30pm and 7pm to 10pm, according to Transport for NSW. It stops from 10am to 10:30am and 6:30pm to 7pm, and does not run between 10pm and 6am.
Yes. The NSW Government describes its vehicle ferries as a free service, and the Lower Portland entry lists no fare. Transport for NSW operates it.
On the second Wednesday of each month. Transport for NSW gives the window as 9:30am to 1pm from 1 November 2026, replacing the earlier 9am to 11am. It lists no dates, so the next one shown at the top of this page is our calculation from the rule.
Eight cars, with a safe load limit of 48 tonnes, according to Transport for NSW. The crossing takes 3 minutes.
Yes. The Hills Shire Council says it is taken out of service when the Hawkesbury reaches 3 metres and rising at Windsor, subject to tides, debris loads and Colo River inflows. That page dates from before the state took the ferry over, and Transport for NSW does not publish the figure. Check Live Traffic NSW before travelling in wet weather.
The Hills Shire Council's page says the half-hour closures from 10am to 10:30am and from 6:30pm to 7pm are due to staffing industrial and award conditions. Transport for NSW lists them as daily half-hour closures.
Transport for NSW's Sackville Ferry notice names River Road for drivers approaching from the eastern side and West Portland Road from the western side. The Hills Shire Council lists the ferry's location as 762 River Road, Lower Portland.
Transport for NSW. The councils announced a state takeover from 1 October 2024, and The Hills Shire Council's page now says the state has been responsible since September 2024.