Review: Manly Ferry from Manly Beach to Circular Quay, Sydney

Review: Manly Ferry from Manly Beach to Circular Quay, Sydney Australia

 

This Manly Ferry from Manly Beach to Circular Quay, Sydney Review is from our recent trip to Sydney, Australia. For the prior Australia-related posts, including Etihad First Apartment to Sydney and Qantas First Class to Melbourne, please see:

Review: Qantas First Class A380 London to Dubai

Review: Emirates First Class Lounge Dubai DXB

Review: Qantas First Class A380 Dubai to Melbourne, Australia

Review: Etihad Business Class Lounge Abu Dhabi

Review: Etihad A380 First Class Apartment Abu Dhabi to Sydney

Review: Qantas International Business Class Lounge, Melbourne MEL

Review: Shangri-La Sydney and Horizon Club

Review: Park Hyatt Sydney Opera Deluxe Room

Social Brew Cafe Sydney Review

Review: Featherdale Wildlife Park Near Sydney, Australia

Review: Palm Beach and The Boathouse Palm Beach

 

Manly Beach

Before we made our way to the Manly Ferry, we briefly visited Manly Beach. It was a lot more crowded than Palm Beach, so I'm very glad that we spent most of our beach time at Palm Beach.

Manly Beach Review: Crowded

 

Still, none of us ever say no to digging our toes into the sand by the ocean:

Manly Beach Review: View

 

Do watch out for jellyfish, since we saw a number of them on the beach and it's not fun to get stung:

Watch Out for Jellyfish at Manly Beach


Manly Ferry Schedule and Ticket Cost

The Manly Ferry operates every 30 minutes and the journey also takes 30 minutes, with the first ferry departing Circular Quay at 5:30am Monday to Friday (7:05am Saturday and Sunday) and the last ferry just after midnight, at 00:20.

On the return from Manly, the first ferry to Circular Quay departs 6:10am Monday to Friday (6:35am Saturday and Sunday) and the last at 00:55am.

Ferry tickets are reasonably priced; at time of writing, a one way adult ticket is AUD $7.60 and a child is AUD $3.80. There's no discount for a roundtrip, it's just double the amount of a one way.

 

Manly Ferry Seating and Experience

One thing to note is that as large as the ferry is, there is somewhat limited seating on the outdoor decks, which are the most popular for viewing the water and, as you get closer to Circular Quay, the Sydney Opera House and Sydney Harbour Bridge. So if you're focused on getting a good seat, you'll want to be in line right after a boat has left, to maximize your chance of getting a good seat.

We got there just before the ferry departed in the early evening, around 5pm, so as you can see, most seats were already taken:

Manly Ferry Review: Outdoor Seating

Manly Ferry Review: Crowded Outdoor Deck

 

Here's a view of Manly as we were departing:

Manly Ferry Review: Departing Manly

 

And about 20 minutes later, we had our first glimpse of Sydney Harbour Bridge and the Sydney skyline:

Sydney Skyline and Sydney Harbour Bridge, View from Manly Ferry

 

Here's a quick video of our approach to Sydney Habour Bridge and the Sydney Opera House:

 

And soon, we had some closer shots of the Opera House and the Tower Bridge:

Review: Manly Ferry from Manly Beach to Circular Quay, Sydney Australia

Sydney Habour Bridge: View from Manly Ferry


The Verdict

I'm glad Peter Bailey dropped us off at Manly Beach and we took the ferry back to Circular Quay, which is very convenient if you're staying in The Rocks area of Sydney, whether at The Park Hyatt Sydney, Shangri-La Sydney or Four Seasons Sydney. Yes, it's a crowded beach and crowded ferry, but still very scenic. Just try to also explore the northern beaches for a less crowded beach experience (and no jellyfish).

Related Posts

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