Monday to Friday pattern from the Transport for NSW timetable valid from 1 June 2026, which matches the operator's own timetable page. The ferry runs a loop: Palm Beach, Wagstaffe, Ettalong, Wagstaffe, Palm Beach, calling at Wagstaffe on only one leg of each loop. Palm Beach times are departures. Ettalong has a single time in the grid, shown here as the departure for Palm Beach. Weekend and Christmas Day patterns replace it on those days. · Representative services only — check the operator for today's full timetable
Departures 1–10 / 10
Departures 1–10 / 10
Crossing time
~30 min
Operator
Palm Beach Ferries
Map – Palm Beach to Ettalong Ferry
Fare type
Price
Adult, single, Palm Beach to Ettalong via Wagstaffe (either direction)
$15.10
Child 4-15 or concession, single
$7.55
Hop, Wagstaffe to Ettalong Beach (adult, child and concession)
$3.60
Bicycle or similar item (cartage list)
$4.10
Tickets are bought on board at departure and paid by credit or debit card only, according to the operator's 2026 price list. Opal cannot be used: the Transport for NSW timetable says so. The list, which took effect on 1 January 2026, gives $15.10 for an adult on Palm Beach to Wagstaffe to Ettalong, $7.55 for a child (aged 4 to 15, under 4 free) and for a concession (Australian seniors, pensioner or student card). A separate Hop fare between Wagstaffe and Ettalong is $3.60. Bicycles, scooters and similar items are charged $4.10 on the freight and cartage list; the older services page and FAQ still say $3.00, so that price is not used. All fares in Australian dollars (AUD).
The Palm Beach to Ettalong ferry links the tip of Sydney's Northern Beaches with the Central Coast across Broken Bay, calling at Wagstaffe on the way. Palm Beach Ferries runs it, and the timetable on transportnsw.info lists it as a Palm Beach Ferry Service route that does not take Opal. The operator says a trip between Palm Beach and Ettalong takes about 30 minutes, and its services page splits that into 20 minutes to Wagstaffe, 10 more to Ettalong, and 25 minutes from Ettalong back to Palm Beach.
The timetable valid from 1 June 2026 is built as a loop rather than a shuttle. Each loop goes Palm Beach, Wagstaffe, Ettalong, Wagstaffe, Palm Beach, and the boat calls at Wagstaffe on only one of the two legs. On weekdays there are nine Palm Beach departures, from 06:30 to 18:00, and an early loop that starts at Wagstaffe at 05:50. Weekends and public holidays have seven loops, 09:00 to 18:00. The last Ettalong time on a weekend, 18:20, is marked drop-off only. Christmas Day has a limited six-loop timetable, and Saturday 26 December falls under the weekend pattern.
The point most worth knowing is that the destination can change. Sand builds up in the Ettalong Channel, and Transport for NSW records that the ferry was diverted to Patonga on 2 May 2026 and returned to Ettalong and Wagstaffe on 1 June 2026, after earlier diversions in 2023 and 2025. In bad weather the operator's diversion timetable also applies. A Patonga call is a stop on this operator's diversion sailings only; the dedicated Palm Beach to Patonga ferry is a different service with its own page. Check the Transport for NSW alerts, or sign up for the operator's free SMS notices, before relying on Ettalong.
Fares are paid on board by credit or debit card: $15.10 for an adult and $7.55 for a child or concession, with a $3.60 Hop between Wagstaffe and Ettalong. Passengers are asked to be on the wharf 10 minutes before departure. Dogs may come if they stay outside, and bicycles are carried for a cartage fee.
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
No. In adverse weather the operator runs a diversion timetable, and when sand builds up in the Ettalong Channel the boats have gone to Patonga instead, as from 2 May to 1 June 2026. Transport for NSW listed no alert for the route on 16 October 2026.
On weekdays the boat leaves Palm Beach at 06:30, 07:30, 09:00, 10:30, 12:00, 14:00, 15:30, 16:30 and 18:00. At weekends and on public holidays it leaves at 09:00, 10:30, 12:00, 14:00, 15:30, 16:30 and 18:00.
Monday to Friday the last Ettalong time is 18:20. At weekends the 18:20 call at Ettalong is marked drop-off only, so the last boat you can board there is 16:50.
$15.10 for an adult and $7.55 for a child or concession on the 2026 price list, paid by card on board. A Wagstaffe to Ettalong Hop costs $3.60.
No. The Transport for NSW timetable says you cannot use Opal on this service, and the operator says fares are paid on board by credit or debit card.
About 30 minutes between Palm Beach and Ettalong or Wagstaffe, according to the operator. Its service page gives 20 minutes to Wagstaffe, 10 more to Ettalong, and 25 minutes from Ettalong back to Palm Beach.
Yes to both. Bicycles are carried for a cartage fee, listed at $4.10 on the 2026 price list. Dogs may travel but must stay outside, and the FAQ says pets must be confined in a box or basket with the crew's permission.
Yes, on a limited timetable: Palm Beach departures at 08:00, 10:00, 12:00, 14:00, 17:00 and 18:00. The other daily services run every day except Christmas Day.