Off-season - no 2026-27 timetable published as at 18 September 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
~25 min
Operator
Boathouse Ferry Co.
Map – Palm Beach to Patonga Ferry
Boathouse Ferry Co. has not published one-way or return fares while the service sits closed for the 2026 season - its ferry page carries no price list. The previous operator, Palm Beach & Hawkesbury River Cruises, charged around $10 one way / $20 return for an adult before Boathouse Ferry Co. took over the Merinda II in November 2021, but that figure cannot be confirmed as still current and is not published as a fact on this page.
The Palm Beach to Patonga crossing is a small, seasonal passenger ferry across Broken Bay, linking Sydney's northern tip at Palm Beach with the fishing village of Patonga on the Central Coast side. The vessel is the Merinda II, a fifty-foot timber ferry built by Norman Wright and Sons in 1983, which Boathouse Ferry Co. - a division of the hospitality group behind The Boathouse Hotel Patonga and several Sydney harbourside venues - has run since November 2021, after taking it over from the long-time family operator Palm Beach & Hawkesbury River Cruises.
Unlike a year-round commuter route, this one runs to a season rather than a fixed annual calendar: checked on 15 September 2026, the operator's own ferry page stated plainly that it was closed for the season from 4 May 2026, with no 2026-27 restart date published. Anyone planning a trip should check the operator's website or Instagram for the current status before turning up at the wharf.
It is easy to confuse this service with a different one leaving from the same Palm Beach wharf: Palm Beach Ferries (trading as Fantasea Cruising) runs a separate, year-round commuter ferry to Ettalong Beach and Wagstaffe. That Ettalong service occasionally reroutes to Patonga instead, on a published 'diversion timetable', when swell or dredging works make its usual Ettalong crossing impractical - as happened for a stretch in May 2026 and again for two days in September 2026. That diversion is a different operator, a different fare structure, and a different, occasional timetable from the dedicated Palm Beach-Patonga ferry described on this page, so check which service you have actually booked. Both crossings sit on open water at the mouth of Broken Bay, exposed to swell, and Palm Beach Ferries in particular cancels individual Ettalong sailings for wind at short notice, which gives a sense of how weather-sensitive this stretch of water is generally.
- 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
Not currently as far as could be confirmed. On 15 September 2026 the operator's own ferry page stated it was closed for the season from 4 May 2026, with no restart date published. Check theboathousegroup.com.au/ferry or @boathouseferryco on Instagram before planning a trip.
Boathouse Ferry Co., part of The Boathouse Group, which has run the historic timber ferry Merinda II since November 2021. It took over the route from the previous long-time operator, Palm Beach & Hawkesbury River Cruises.
No. Ettalong Beach and Wagstaffe are served by a separate, year-round commuter ferry run by a different company, Palm Beach Ferries (Fantasea Cruising), from the same Palm Beach wharf. That operator occasionally diverts its Ettalong sailings to Patonga during bad swell or dredging works, which is a different, occasional service to the dedicated seasonal Patonga ferry on this page.
Current fares are not published while the service is closed for the season. Before the 2021 change of operator, a return adult fare was around $20, but this has not been confirmed as still current under Boathouse Ferry Co.
It sails across open water at the mouth of Broken Bay, so it is weather-exposed. Boathouse Ferry Co. has not published its own cancellation policy, but the nearby Ettalong ferry across the same stretch of water is frequently cancelled for wind and swell, which gives a sense of the conditions this crossing also faces.
No booking system was found published while the service is off-season. Check the operator's Instagram (@boathouseferryco) or theboathousegroup.com.au/ferry for booking details once sailings resume.
Palm Beach Wharf, on the Pittwater side of Palm Beach, the same wharf used by the separate Ettalong Beach ferry.