Sackville Ferry
Encyclopedia
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. Because of the tortuous course of the river, the ferry actually runs north-west from Sackville to Sackville North.
The ferry is operated by a private sector
operator under contract to New South Wales Roads and Maritime Services
(RMS), carries a maximum of 12 cars at a time, and is free of tolls. The crossing is 290 metres (951.4 ft) in length and takes approximately 3 minutes. The ferry operates on demand 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, but is closed for maintenance on the first Wednesday of each month between 1245 and 1515.
The Sackville Ferry is the farthest upstream of four cable ferry crossings of the Hawkesbury River proper. In order downstream, the others are the Lower Portland Ferry
, Webbs Creek Ferry
and Wisemans Ferry
. A fifth ferry, the Berowra Waters Ferry
, crosses a side-arm of the river.
A ferry service is known to have operated across the river at Sackville since at least 1883, and possibly the 1870s. Initially privately owned, by c1908 the operation of the ferry was sub-contracted by Baulkham Hills Shire Council to a local resident. In 1918 the ferry was jointly owned and managed by the Colo Shire Council and Baulkham Hills Council. It was taken over by the New South Wales Department of Main Roads
, a predecessor of RMS, shortly after that body's inception in 1932.
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 connects the communities of Sackville
Sackville, New South Wales
Sackville is a suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. It is located in the City of Hawkesbury and in the census of 2001 had a population of 410....
, on the north/west bank of the river, and Sackville North
Sackville North, New South Wales
Sackville North is a suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Sackville North is located 80 kilometres north-west of the Sydney central business district in the local government area of The Hills Shire....
, on the south/east bank. Because of the tortuous course of the river, the ferry actually runs north-west from Sackville to Sackville North.
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 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....
(RMS), carries a maximum of 12 cars at a time, and is free of tolls. The crossing is 290 metres (951.4 ft) in length and takes approximately 3 minutes. The ferry operates on demand 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, but is closed for maintenance on the first Wednesday of each month between 1245 and 1515.
The Sackville Ferry is the farthest upstream of four cable ferry crossings of the Hawkesbury River proper. In order downstream, the others are the Lower Portland Ferry
Lower Portland Ferry
The Lower Portland Ferry is a cable ferry across the Hawkesbury River in New South Wales, Australia. The ferry is situated in the community of Lower Portland....
, 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...
. 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.
A ferry service is known to have operated across the river at Sackville since at least 1883, and possibly the 1870s. Initially privately owned, by c1908 the operation of the ferry was sub-contracted by Baulkham Hills Shire Council to a local resident. In 1918 the ferry was jointly owned and managed by the Colo Shire Council and Baulkham Hills Council. It was taken over by the New South Wales Department of Main Roads
Department of Main Roads (New South Wales)
The New South Wales Department of Main Roads was created in November 1932. The DMR undertook works across NSW; including maintenance of all major roads into Sydney and programs of road reconstruction, construction, upgrading and rerouting...
, a predecessor of RMS, shortly after that body's inception in 1932.
External links
- RTA vehicle ferry operation information - includes timetable.
- RTA heritage information on Sackville Ferry