Wisemans Ferry

Wisemans Ferry is a quaint riverside town of 230 (2021) on the border of Sydney and the Central Coast region of New South Wales.

Understand

Established by an ex-convict in 1817, and positioned on the Hawkesbury River, one hour north of Sydney, this small town offers an ideal day trip to the countryside with colonial architecture, history, parks and picnics by the river. As the name suggests, there are some car ferries here that will take you across the river.

Get in

By car

Driving is the most practical way to reach here. Taking the Old Northern Road up from Sydney will take you about 1 hour.

Coming from St Albans is the car ferry for 1 St Albans Road and coming from Gosford is the 2 Wisemans Ferry Road. Ferries are free to use and run 24 hours and 7 days a week, although a long queue may occur on holiday weekends. There are no alternative bridges to use in the area.

By bus

The area doesn't have much public transport. To get here from Sydney you should take the train to Windsor Station in Sydney's north west, and then catch the bus route 672 which takes about 1 hour.

Get around

The car ferry over the Hawkesbury River

Walk or cycle. Some 'nearby' attractions are quite far however.

See

• 1 Tobruk Sheep Station, 5050 Old Northern Rd, Maroota, ☏ +61 2 4566 8223, bookings@tobruksydney.com.au. A showcase farm where you can see working dogs and sheep. $5. (updated Jan 2016)
• 2 Great North Road Convict Trail, LOT 139 Old Great Northern Rd. Part of the Northern Road original trail built by convicts in the 19th century. Head further north and you'll reach the world-heritage section of the trail, mostly in Dharug National Park. (updated Jan 2016)

Do

• 1 Wisemans Ferry Golf Club, 5564 Old Northern Rd, ☏ +61 2 4566 4422. (updated Jan 2016)
• 2 Wisemans Ferry Park. Public park by the river, with a beach, bbq facilities, playgrounds and a good deal of parking. Fishing is allowed. There is a small cafe next to the ferry entrance. (updated Jan 2016)
• 3 Dharug National Park, Wisemans Ferry Road (There is an entrance about 5 minutes drive down Wisemans Ferry road. See Park website for all options.). On the doorstep of Wisemans Ferry, this is a large national park with plenty of hiking and Mountain Bike trails. (updated Jan 2016)
• 4 NSW Water SKI Gardens, 2916 River Rd. Waterskiing on the river (updated Jan 2016)
• 5 Academy of Floral Art, 72 Singleton Mills, ☏ +61 2 9653 9651. (updated Jan 2016)
• 6 Hawkesbury Cruiser Hire, 3008 River Rd, ☏ +61 2 4566 4299. Hire a boat for a few days (updated Jan 2016)

Buy

• 1 Wisemans Ferry Grocer, 2 Old Northern Rd, ☏ +61 2 4566 4612. The main food shop in town, also has a small cafe service with warm food. (updated Jan 2016)
• 2 Ferry Artists Gallery, 2 Old Northern Road, ☏ +61 2 4566 4385. Art from local artists (updated Jan 2016)
• 3 Kids Clobber, 270 Settlers Rd, ☏ +61 2 4566 4800. Baby clothing (updated Jan 2016)

Eat

It is ideal to bring a picnic to Wiseman's Ferry. If driving up from Sydney then there are plenty of farms selling fresh fruit at the side of the road, especially around the town of Dural. There is a small supermarket in Wisemans Ferry but you will probably want to bring your own food.

• 1 Wombat Cafe, Wisemans Ferry Rd, Gunderman (Drive about 10 minutes down Wisemans Ferry Road from Wisemans Ferry). Positioned with good views over the Hawkesbury River. (updated Jan 2016)
• 2 Riverbend Restaurant, 5564 Old Northern Rd, ☏ +61 2 4566 4422. (updated Jan 2016)
• 3 Busby's Café Restaurant, 12/5557 Old Northern Rd, ☏ +61 2 4566 4787. (updated Jan 2016)

Drink

• 1 Wisemans Ferry Inn Hotel Bar, 6 Old Northern Rd, ☏ +61 2 4566 4301. Bar part of hotel (updated Jan 2016)

Sleep

There are plenty of motels and retreats in and around the town.

• 1 Retreat at Wisemans, Old Northern Rd, ☏ +61 2 4566 4422, retreat@wisemans.com.au. (updated Jan 2016)
• 2 Forgotten Valley Retreat, Singleton Rd, ☏ +61 2 4587 9050. (updated Jan 2016)
• 3 Wisemans Ferry Inn Hotel, 6 Old Northern Rd, ☏ +61 2 4566 4301. The hotel dates from 1827 and is situated in the town itself. The accommodation is in motel style fibro units behind the hotel, and has no historical significance. (updated Jan 2016)
• 4 Able Hawkesbury River Houseboats, 3008 River Rd, ☏ +61 2 4566 4308. (updated Jan 2016)
• 5 Koveda Holiday Park, 2868 River Rd, ☏ +61 2 4566 4305. (updated Jan 2016)
• 6 Rivervalley Lodge, 1 Settlers Rd, ☏ +61 2 4566 4357. (updated Jan 2016)

Connect

Although remote and in a valley, you can still get reliable 4G (only) connections for Optus and Telstra services. There is no Vodafone at all. (December 2019).

Go next

• Gosford is a long (77km) but scenic drive east along the Hawkesbury River
• Dharug National Park is just across the river.
• St Albans is a scenic 1 hour drive to the north
• Yengo National Park is 25km to the north
• Some of Sydney's oldest settlements in the City of Hawkesbury area to the south west
• Explore Tourist Drive 33