The Speewa 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 Murray River

Murray River

The Murray River is Australia's longest river. At in length, the Murray rises in the Australian Alps, draining the western side of Australia's highest mountains and, for most of its length, meanders across Australia's inland plains, forming the border between New South Wales and Victoria as it...

 on the border between the Australian

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...

 states of 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...

 and Victoria

Victoria (Australia)

Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....

. The ferry is located in the community of Speewa, Victoria

Speewa, Victoria

Speewa is a locality in Victoria, Australia, located approximately 19 km from Swan Hill, Victoria on the Murray River. It is unusual in that it shares its name with a contiguous locality in New South Wales....

, approximately 20 kilometres (12.4 mi) north of Swan Hill

Swan Hill, Victoria

Swan Hill is a city in the northwest of Victoria, Australia. It is located on the Murray Valley Highway, on the south bank of the Murray River, downstream from the junction of the Loddon River. At the 2006 census, Swan Hill had a population of 9,684.-History:...

, off the road between Swan Hill and Nyah

Nyah, Victoria

Nyah is a town in northern Victoria, Australia. The town is located on the Murray Valley Highway, in the Rural City of Swan Hill Local Government Area, 365 kilometres north west of the state capital, Melbourne...

.

The ferry is controlled 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....

, but is jointly funded by both states. It operates seven days a week, carries a maximum of two cars at a time, and is free of tolls. The times of operation vary on different days of the week, but the ferry operates from 0800 to 2100 on all days, and longer on some. On each day there are two one hour breaks in service.

The Speewa Ferry is one of only two cable ferries to cross the section of the Murray River between New South Wales and Victoria, the other being the Wymah Ferry

Wymah Ferry

The Wymah Ferry is a cable ferry across the upper reach of Lake Hume, on the Murray River and on the border between the Australian states of New South Wales and Victoria...

 nearly 500 kilometres (310.7 mi) upstream. However there are another 11 such ferries further downstream, on the South Australia

South Australia

South Australia is a state of Australia in the southern central part of the country. It covers some of the most arid parts of the continent; with a total land area of , it is the fourth largest of Australia's six states and two territories.South Australia shares borders with all of the mainland...

section of the river.

External links

• RTA vehicle ferry operation information - includes timetable.
• RTA heritage information on Speewa Ferry