The Lower Portland Ferry is a cable ferry

Cable ferry

A cable ferry is guided and in many cases propelled across a river or other larger body of water by cables connected to both shores. They are also called chain ferries, floating bridges, or punts....

 across the Hawkesbury River

Hawkesbury River

The Hawkesbury River, also known as Deerubbun, is one of the major rivers of the coastal region of New South Wales, Australia. The Hawkesbury River and its tributaries virtually encircle the metropolitan region of Sydney.-Geography:-Course:...

 in New South Wales

New South Wales

New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...

, Australia

Australia

Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...

. The ferry is situated in the community of Lower Portland

Lower Portland, New South Wales

Lower Portland is a suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Lower Portland is located 80 kilometres northwest of the Sydney central business district, in the local government areas of The Hills Shire Lower Portland is a suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales,...

.

The ferry is operated by a private sector

Private sector

In economics, the private sector is that part of the economy, sometimes referred to as the citizen sector, which is run by private individuals or groups, usually as a means of enterprise for profit, and is not controlled by the state...

 operator under contract to Hawkesbury City Council and Baulkham Hills Shire Council, who jointly fund the service. The crossing is 209 metres (685.7 ft) in length and is free of tolls. The ferry operates on demand from 0500 to 2400, 7 days a week, but is closed for maintenance on the first Wednesday of each month from 0900 to 1100

The East Portland Ferry is one of four cable ferry crossings over the Hawkesbury River proper, and is unusual in being the only one not provided by New South Wales Roads and Maritime Services

Roads and Maritime Services

Roads and Maritime Services is an agency of the New South Wales Government responsible for building and maintaining road infrastructure and managing the day-to-day compliance and safety for roads and waterways....

. The other are the Sackville Ferry

Sackville Ferry

The Sackville Ferry is a cable ferry across the Hawkesbury River in New South Wales, Australia. The ferry connects the communities of Sackville, on the north/west bank of the river, and Sackville North, on the south/east bank...

 upstream, and the Webbs Creek Ferry

Webbs Creek Ferry

Webbs Creek Ferry is a cable ferry across the Hawkesbury River in New South Wales, Australia. The ferry operates from the community of Wisemans Ferry, to a point up-stream of the Hawkesbury River's confluence with the Macdonald River, thus connecting with the St Albans Road that follows the west...

 and Wisemans Ferry

Wisemans Ferry

Wisemans Ferry is a cable ferry across the Hawkesbury River in New South Wales, Australia. The ferry operates from the eponymous community of Wisemans Ferry on the south bank, to a point on the north bank downstream of the Hawkesbury River's confluence with the Macdonald River, connecting with the...

 downstream. A fifth ferry, the Berowra Waters Ferry

Berowra Waters Ferry

The Berowra Waters Ferry is a cable ferry across the Berowra Creek, a tributary of the Hawkesbury River, in New South Wales, Australia. The ferry operates from the community of Berowra Waters on the west bank of the creek, to a landing on the east bank, thus connecting with the road to Berowra...

, crosses a side-arm of the river.