Melbourne is a tram city, a train city, and a tangle of cycling paths. What most people forget: it’s also a bay city with four working passenger ferries, and one of them will get you to a car-free island with koalas for under twenty bucks. The ferry network is modest, slightly under-used, and far more useful than it looks on a transport map. Whether you’re cross-bay commuting, island-hopping on a Sunday, or dodging the West Gate Bridge on two wheels, here’s how the 2026 ferry scene actually works.
A quick heads-up before we dive in: none of Melbourne’s ferries accept Myki. Every service runs its own ticketing, most take EFTPOS, and two of them require pre-booking online. Plan accordingly. For the bigger transport picture, the Melbourne transport hub covers trains, trams and everything in between.
Western Port Ferry: The Sunday Islander
Call it the weekend escape hatch. The Western Port Ferry links Stony Point on the Mornington Peninsula with French Island (Tankerton Pier) and Cowes on Phillip Island, running 365 days a year with seven or eight departures each direction. Stony Point to French Island takes 15 minutes. Stony Point to Cowes, 30 minutes. French Island across to Cowes, another 15.
French Island is the quiet ace up the sleeve: car-free, no grid electricity, koalas dozing in gum trees, plus potoroos, echidnas and orchids if you know where to look. Phillip Island on the other side of the water delivers the bigger drawcards (Penguin Parade, Seal Rocks, the Grand Prix circuit, the koala conservation centre).
Fares 2026 (one-way / return):
- Adult: $16.50 / $33.00
- Pension and concession: $10.15 / $20.30
- Child 5 to 18: $7.60 / $15.20
- Infant under 5: free
- Bicycle: $5.05 one-way
- Victorian Seniors Card: free on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays (booking essential)
Getting there: Catch the Frankston line to Frankston, change to the Stony Point line, and the jetty is a short walk from the station. Free (unsecured) parking at Stony Point if you’re driving. December 27 to January 31 runs extra summer services.
Booking: Weekends and peak periods fill up, so pre-book at bookings.westernportferries.com.au. Arrive 10 to 20 minutes early. EFTPOS accepted on board but no Myki. Call the operator on (03) 5257 4565 for group bookings or accessibility questions.
On board: Two vessels rotate through the schedule. The MV Naturaliste has a disabled toilet and a lounge deck; the MV Island Explorer runs in the warmer months. The RORO Café serves coffee and snacks on most sailings. Piers at Stony Point, Tankerton and Cowes all have stairs, so travellers with mobility needs should ring ahead.
One visiting family summed it up neatly: “Seeing dolphins alongside the ferry made the whole trip, we weren’t even at Phillip Island yet and the kids were already thrilled.” Another put the French Island half of the trip like this: “We had no idea a place that wild and empty existed this close to Melbourne.” If you’re planning the longer loop, our Mornington Peninsula transport guide covers the Stony Point line in more detail.
Westgate Punt: The Commuter’s Shortcut
Five minutes, half a kilometre, and you’ve crossed the Yarra without touching the West Gate Bridge. The Westgate Punt runs between Spotswood Jetty and Westgate Landing on Lorimer Street in Port Melbourne, gliding under the bridge’s southern span. It’s a private operation (run by Rob Horner, subsidised by PTV), and it’s the closest thing Melbourne has to a locals-only transport quirk.
Capacity is 20 passengers plus bikes, which tells you everything about who uses it: cyclists linking the Bay Trail with Port Melbourne’s bike paths, dog walkers with leads in hand, and the occasional tourist who stumbled across it on Google Maps and couldn’t quite believe it existed.
Fares 2026:
- Weekdays: $3.00 one-way
- Weekends: $5.00 one-way
- EFTPOS only, no Myki, no cash
Operating hours: Weekday peak only, running 6:30am to 9:10am in the morning and 3:40pm to 7:00pm in the afternoon. Weekends it shifts to on-demand service 9am to 5pm. Closed Christmas Day, Boxing Day and Good Friday.
Getting there: Spotswood Station on the Werribee line is a short walk to the jetty. Westgate Landing connects to the Capital City Trail and Bay Trail.
No booking required. Turn up, pay, board. As one regular cyclist put it: “The Westgate Punt is one of Melbourne’s best-kept secrets, five minutes on the water and you’ve completely bypassed the bridge. Cyclists love it.” Pair the crossing with our must-have Melbourne transport apps guide if you want live train times to connect at Spotswood.
Port Phillip Ferries: The Bay Commuter
The big one. Port Phillip Ferries runs the Docklands-to-Geelong and Docklands-to-Portarlington crossings, plus a Geelong-Portarlington link on select services. It’s the fastest public way to swap the CBD for the Bellarine without sitting on the M1, and the on-board café, free Wi-Fi and USB charging mean the journey counts as downtime rather than transit.
Journey times: Portarlington to Docklands 70 minutes; Geelong to Docklands 95 minutes; Geelong to Portarlington 40 minutes. Three seasonal timetables (Off-Peak, Peak, High Peak) shuffle the Geelong services around school holidays, while the Portarlington run holds steady with weekday departures at 7:15am and 4:00pm in the off-peak season plus a 9:00am weekend service.
Fares 2026 (include the 20% Environmental Fuel Surcharge that applied from 30 March 2026):
- Portarlington to Docklands: adult $25.80 off-peak / $30.00 peak; child 4 to 16 $15.60 / $19.20; family (2+2) $72.60 / $85.80
- Geelong to Docklands: adult $27.60 / $31.80; child $18.00 / $22.20; family $78.00 / $92.40
- Geelong to Portarlington: adult $16.20 off-peak / $20.40 peak
- Infants under 4: free
- PortPlus 50-trip commuter pass: from $16.20 per trip on the Portarlington route
On the surcharge: it’s temporary, triggered by global fuel prices, and will be removed once prices stabilise. CEO Murray Rance noted the company “absorbed these increases for as long as we could” before passing them through.
Booking: Pre-purchase online at portphillipferries.com.au. Boarding opens 20 minutes before departure. Tickets are non-refundable and non-transferable, with a 48-hour cancellation window as the only exception. No Myki. Operator line: (03) 9514 8959.
Terminals:
- Docklands: 131 Harbour Esplanade, Victoria Harbour. A 5 to 10 minute walk from Southern Cross, with the free tram at Stop D3 right alongside. Marvel Stadium parking from $19 early bird if you’re driving in.
- Portarlington: Free parking near the pier, with all-day spots at Henderson’s Reserve.
- Geelong: 1 Eastern Beach Road, Cunningham Pier, three minutes’ walk to the CBD.
On board: Licensed café (coffee, food, card payments only), free Wi-Fi, indoor and outdoor seating, USB charging and bike racks (max 20, pre-book).
Extras worth knowing about: The Grand Day Out Package bundles a return ferry, lunch and a drink from Docklands. Port to Plate runs a mussel-tasting experience out of Portarlington. Nature Lovers Bay Cruises depart Tuesdays as a 2.5-hour scenic loop. Families travelling between April 3 and 19, 2026 can use the Easter promo code for free kids’ tickets. One recent passenger summed up the experience: “We did the Grand Day Out package on Port Phillip Ferries and it was genuinely one of the best days we’ve had in Melbourne. The café on board, the bay views, and then fresh mussels at Portarlington, couldn’t fault it.”
If Geelong or the Bellarine is the destination, compare options in our Melbourne to Geelong guide and the Bellarine Peninsula transport breakdown.
St Kilda Ferry: The Seasonal Bayside Link
The newest fixture on Melbourne’s ferry map. The St Kilda Ferry (vessel: The Coastal Flyer) runs between Williamstown (Gem Pier), Port Melbourne (Beacon Cove) and St Kilda Pier, linking three bayside suburbs that used to require a train-tram-tram shuffle to connect. Williamstown to St Kilda is 25 to 30 minutes across the water; Williamstown to Port Melbourne is 15 to 20.
Fares 2026:
- Port Melbourne to St Kilda: adult $33 one-way / $45 return
- Williamstown to St Kilda: adult $22 one-way / $34 return
- Child 4 to 16: FREE on all ferry trips
- Infants: free
- Sunset Penguin Cruise: $75 adult
- Penguin Night Cruise: $55 adult
Status: As of April 2026, the passenger ferry services are in their winter pause and return in Spring 2026. The Penguin Cruises, however, run Tuesday to Sunday year-round: little blue penguins return to their burrows at the St Kilda Pier breakwater at dusk, and watching them waddle up the rocks is a proper Melbourne bucket-list hour.
Booking: Online at stkildaferry.com.au. Arrive 5 minutes before a standard ferry departure and 15 minutes before a Penguin Cruise. No Myki.
Why it’s worth the fare: Williamstown is the sleeper hit of the three stops. Victorian heritage architecture, waterside galleries, cafés lining Nelson Place, and an uninterrupted CBD skyline view across the water. For more of the same energy, our ten Melbourne getaways round-up covers the other nearby options.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do Melbourne ferries accept Myki?
No. None of the four ferry services (Western Port, Westgate Punt, Port Phillip Ferries, St Kilda Ferry) are part of the Myki network. Each runs its own ticketing. Port Phillip Ferries and the St Kilda Ferry require online pre-purchase. Western Port Ferry strongly recommends online booking for weekends. The Westgate Punt takes EFTPOS on board. Cash is rarely accepted anywhere, so bring a card.
Can I take my bike on a Melbourne ferry?
Yes, on all four services, though the rules vary. The Westgate Punt is the most bike-friendly: it was essentially built for cyclists, and fits 20 passengers plus bikes without extra fees. Western Port Ferries charges $5.05 one-way for a bicycle and bikes travel on every sailing. Port Phillip Ferries has 20 on-board racks that must be pre-booked with your ticket. The St Kilda Ferry accepts bikes when services are running in Spring and Summer; check at booking.
Which ferry is best for a day trip with kids?
The Western Port Ferry to French Island wins for younger families who want a genuine adventure: short crossing, high chance of dolphin sightings, and a car-free island with koalas waiting on the other side. Child fares are modest ($7.60 one-way) and under-fives travel free. For older kids who want a longer journey and city views, Port Phillip Ferries to Portarlington with the Grand Day Out Package works well, and Easter 2026 brings free child tickets (April 3 to 19 with the promo code). The St Kilda Ferry’s free-for-kids policy is also strong value when services resume in Spring.
Do I need to book ahead?
It depends on the service. Port Phillip Ferries require pre-purchase online: there is no walk-up ticket window. Western Port Ferries strongly encourage booking for weekends, public holidays and the summer extra-services period (December 27 to January 31). The St Kilda Ferry requires online booking for both standard services and Penguin Cruises. The Westgate Punt is the only turn-up-and-pay service: no booking, no pre-purchase, just tap your card at the jetty.
Which ferry runs year-round?
Three of the four operate year-round. Western Port Ferries runs 365 days a year. Port Phillip Ferries runs year-round with seasonal timetables. The Westgate Punt runs weekdays and weekends year-round, closed only on Christmas Day, Boxing Day and Good Friday. The St Kilda Ferry is the seasonal outlier: passenger services pause over winter and return in Spring, though the Penguin Cruises operate Tuesday to Sunday year-round.
Where do the ferries connect with public transport?
All four have public-transport-friendly jetties. Stony Point (Western Port Ferry) is at the end of the Stony Point line off Frankston. Spotswood (Westgate Punt) is a short walk from Spotswood Station on the Werribee line. Docklands (Port Phillip Ferries) is 5 to 10 minutes from Southern Cross and has the free tram Stop D3 at the door. St Kilda Pier (St Kilda Ferry) connects to the 3a, 16 and 96 trams. Williamstown is walkable from Williamstown Station.