town in New South Wales, Australia
Oceania > Australia > New South Wales > Sydney > 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

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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

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Map
Map of Wisemans Ferry

By car

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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

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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

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The car ferry over the Hawkesbury River

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

  • 1 Wisemans Ferry Golf Club, 5564 Old Northern Rd, +61 2 4566 4422.
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • 4 NSW Water SKI Gardens, 2916 River Rd. Waterskiing on the river
  • 5 Academy of Floral Art, 72 Singleton Mills, +61 2 9653 9651.
  • 6 Hawkesbury Cruiser Hire, 3008 River Rd, +61 2 4566 4299. Hire a boat for a few days

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.
  • 2 Riverbend Restaurant, 5564 Old Northern Rd, +61 2 4566 4422.
  • 3 Busby's Café Restaurant, 12/5557 Old Northern Rd, +61 2 4566 4787.

Drink

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Sleep

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

Connect

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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

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This city travel guide to Wisemans Ferry is a usable article. It has information on how to get there and on restaurants and hotels. An adventurous person could use this article, but please feel free to improve it by editing the page.