Wisemans 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 operates from the eponymous community of Wisemans Ferry

Wisemans Ferry, New South Wales

Wisemans Ferry is a town north of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Wisemans Ferry is located 75 kilometres north-west of the Sydney central business district in the local government areas of Hornsby Shire, The Hills Shire, City of Hawkesbury and City of Gosford.The town is a...

 on the south bank, to a point on the north bank downstream of the Hawkesbury River's confluence with the Macdonald River

Macdonald River (St Albans)

There are two rivers named Macdonald River in New South Wales, Australia. See Macdonald RiverThe Macdonald River is a tributary of the Hawkesbury River. It rises near Putty and flows about 60 kilometers generally south-east to where it joins the Hawkesbury River near Wisemans Ferry.The upper...

, connecting with the old Great North Road

Great North Road (Australia)

The Great North Road is a historic road in Australia built by convicts between 1825 and 1836, being New South Wales's first road to traverse the rugged terrain hindering early agricultural expansion, effectively linking Sydney with the fertile Hunter Valley.The road is of such cultural...

. The crossing has remained in use on its current site since 1829, making it the oldest ferry crossing still in operation in New South Wales, and possibly in Australia.

Operation

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....

 and is free of tolls. The crossing is 366 metres (1,200.8 ft) in length and takes approximately 4 minutes. The ferry operates on demand 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, with no regular maintenance closure. Two ferry boats are available at this crossing, operating on separate sets of cables, and when traffic demands it both may be in use. The larger of the two boats carries up to 24 cars, whilst the smaller one carries only 8.

The ferry is one of two cable ferry crossings in the community of Wisemans Ferry, the other being 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...

, which crosses the Hawkesbury River to a point upstream of the confluence with the Macdonald River. Two other such ferries cross the Hawkesbury River proper, these being 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...

 and 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....

, whilst 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.

History

The ferry is named after its founder, Solomon Wiseman

Solomon Wiseman

Solomon Wiseman was a convict, merchant and ferryman. The town called Wiseman's Ferry, New South Wales, Australia is named after him....

, a former convict

Convict

A convict is "a person found guilty of a crime and sentenced by a court" or "a person serving a sentence in prison", sometimes referred to in slang as simply a "con". Convicts are often called prisoners or inmates. Persons convicted and sentenced to non-custodial sentences often are not termed...

 (1778–1838), who received a land grant in the area from Governor Macquarie in 1817. Wiseman established the ferry service in 1827 for the transport of produce and provisions to the convicts building the Great North Road to link Sydney with the fertile Hunter Valley. Initially located 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) downstream of its present location, the crossing was moved to its present location in 1829 when the Great North Road was repositioned and reconstructed. In 1832, the Wisemans ferry service was purchased by the government.

Until the opening of the Peats Ferry Bridge

Peats Ferry Bridge

The 'Peats Ferry Bridge' is a road bridge which crosses the Hawkesbury River north of Sydney in New South Wales, Australia.The Peats Ferry Bridge was opened in 1945 and was the first direct road link between Sydney and Newcastle, New South Wales and the north of the State. Before the bridge was...

 across the Hawkesbury at Brooklyn

Brooklyn, New South Wales

Brooklyn is a small suburb of northern Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Brooklyn is located 51 kilometres north of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of Hornsby Shire and is part of the North Shore region...

, Wisemans Ferry was on one of the main road routes north out of Sydney. However when that bridge opened in 1945, vehicular traffic along the Great North Road through Wisemans Ferry was reduced, and the crossing at Wisemans Ferry could no longer be considered to be on the main route north to Newcastle

Newcastle, New South Wales

The Newcastle metropolitan area is the second most populated area in the Australian state of New South Wales and includes most of the Newcastle and Lake Macquarie Local Government Areas...

.

External links

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