Peddells' monthly schedules for October 2026 to March 2027, as posted on its website on 21 October 2026. Each lists every sailing for its month. · Representative services only — check the operator for today's full timetable
Departures 1–10 / 10
Departures 1–10 / 10
Crossing time
~70 min
Operator
Peddells Ferry (Peddells Thursday Island Tours)
Map – Thursday Island Ferry
| Fare type | Price |
|---|---|
| Adult (over 14), ferry only, one way | $72.00 |
| Adult (over 14), ferry only, return | $144.00 |
| Child (5 to 14), ferry only, one way | $36.00 |
| Child (5 to 14), ferry only, return | $72.00 |
| Concession card holder, ferry only, one way | $36.00 |
| Concession card holder, ferry only, return | $72.00 |
| Infant (0 to 4), ferry only | Free |
| Adult, ferry with Thursday Island bus tour, one way | $112.00 |
| Adult, ferry with Thursday Island bus tour, return | $184.00 |
| Child (5 to 14), ferry with bus tour, one way | $56.00 |
| Child (5 to 14), ferry with bus tour, return | $92.00 |
Ferry-only fares come from Peddells' Ferry Prices page, which lists them as pre-pay fares bought online and says they are valid from 1 April to 31 October 2026. No table for later dates was posted on 21 October 2026, so the figures below may change after 31 October. The page says there is currently no surcharge or levy, but that one may be applied if costs become volatile. Fares include GST. A concession fare needs a card from the Queensland Government's approved list, shown at purchase and again at boarding, and cannot be claimed after the ticket is bought. Children aged 5 to 14 pay half the adult fare, infants aged 0 to 4 travel free and must be included in the booking, and children cannot travel alone. The ferry-with-bus-tour fares are a different product and are marked as such. Peddells says the service is cashless: book and pay online and show the ticket at the gangway. All fares in Australian dollars (AUD).
Peddells operates the scheduled passenger ferry between Seisia, on Cape York, and Thursday Island in the Torres Strait. The company calls itself a local Indigenous family business based on Thursday Island. Boats leave from Seisia Jetty on the mainland and Engineers Jetty on the island, and Peddells gives the crossing as about 1 hour 10 minutes, depending on conditions.
The timetable is the first thing to understand, because it is not a fixed weekly pattern. Peddells posts one page per month. The pages for October 2026 to March 2027 all show the same three days, Monday, Wednesday and Friday, with two sailings each: out of Thursday Island at 6:30 am and 2:30 pm, and out of Seisia at 8:00 am and 3:50 pm. Nothing is listed for Tuesdays, Thursdays or weekends in those months. September 2026 was different, running Monday to Friday with morning sailings on the last weekend, which is why the PDF for your month is worth opening. The closures printed on the schedules are Christmas Day, the Boxing Day holiday on 28 December, New Year's Day 2027, Good Friday and Easter Monday. For Christmas, the last ferry is given as Wednesday 23 December.
Everything is booked and paid for in advance. Peddells states that reservations are essential, that the service has gone cashless, and that you must be at the gangway 15 minutes before departure with your ticket, or you may be counted as a no-show and lose the seat. A ferry-only adult fare is $72 one way or $144 return; the page that lists it says those fares run to 31 October 2026 and no later table had been posted when this page was written.
Luggage is tightly limited to one suitcase or overnight bag per person, at most 15 kg, with other items treated as freight. Heading south from Thursday Island to Seisia, quarantine rules apply, and animals must be caged and need the right paperwork.
Two mix-ups are common. The airport is on Horn Island, reached by a short ferry run by other companies, not by this service. And a ferry-plus-bus-tour ticket is a different, dearer product from the plain ferry fare.
- 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
Peddells lists a ferry-only adult fare of $72 one way and $144 return. Children aged 5 to 14 and concession card holders pay $36 one way or $72 return, and infants aged 0 to 4 travel free. Those fares are listed as valid from 1 April to 31 October 2026, and the page showed no table for later dates on 21 October 2026.
Peddells' timetable page gives the one-way trip as approximately 1 hour 10 minutes, depending on conditions. Peddells does not print arrival times; it asks passengers to be at the gangway 15 minutes before departure.
In the monthly schedules for October 2026 to March 2027 it runs on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays only, with two sailings each way: 6:30 am and 2:30 pm from Thursday Island, 8:00 am and 3:50 pm from Seisia. It does not run on Christmas Day, 28 December, 1 January, Good Friday or Easter Monday.
Yes. Peddells says reservations are essential and that you need a ticket already booked and paid for to board. It is cashless, so you buy online, then check in with the crew at the gangway 15 minutes before departure. A concession cannot be claimed after the ticket is bought.
Peddells' pages describe a passenger and freight service and do not mention carrying vehicles, so do not assume a car can go. Luggage is limited to one suitcase or overnight bag per person, up to 15 kg and 600 by 400 by 250 mm, and items over 1 metre are not carried.
No. Thursday Island's airport is on Horn Island. The Thursday Island to Horn Island crossing is a separate, much shorter ferry run by other companies, such as Rebel Tours and Kaiwalagal Ferries & Charters. Peddells' ferry only joins Seisia on Cape York with Thursday Island.
Peddells says its ferries leave from Engineers Jetty on Thursday Island for Seisia Jetty on Cape York. Its Thursday Island jetty office is open Monday to Friday, 9 am to 12 noon and 1 pm to 2:30 pm, and is closed on public holidays.
Peddells' terms say animals other than guide dogs must be caged and a carriage fee applies. Going south from Thursday Island to Seisia, quarantine regulations apply and the passenger must arrange any paperwork. It points travellers to the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry office on Thursday Island.