RiverCity Ferries
RiverCity Ferries is a public transport company which commenced operating ferry services in Brisbane on 4 November 2020. It is a subsidiary of the Kelsian Group.[1][2]
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Industry | Public transport |
---|---|
Predecessor | Transdev Brisbane Ferries |
Founded | 4 November 2020 |
Headquarters | , Australia |
Area served | Brisbane River |
Products |
|
Services | Passenger ferry transport |
Parent | SeaLink Travel Group |
Website | rivercityferries |
RiverCity Ferries operates 32 vessels serving 21 wharves on the Brisbane River under a ten-year contract (with an optional five-year extension) with the Brisbane City Council.[3][4] The company won the contract from the previous operator, Transdev Brisbane Ferries.[1]
Services
CityCat
CityCat services operate from University of Queensland to Northshore Hamilton calling at West End, Guyatt Park, Regatta, Milton, North Quay, South Bank, QUT Gardens Point, Riverside, Sydney Street, Mowbray Park, New Farm Park, Hawthorne, Bulimba, Teneriffe, Bretts Wharf and Apollo Road.[5] Not all CityCat services stop all stops, with some peak time express services operating.[6]
CityHopper
CityHopper is an inner city service between North Quay and Sydney Street, stopping at South Bank, Maritime Museum, Riverside and Holman Street.[7]
Cross River
Cross River consists of cross-river services at two locations.[8]
- Bulimba – Teneriffe
- Holman Street – Riverside known as the Kangaroo Point Cross River Service.
Changes from 15 November 2020
- Some services which were suspended by Brisbane City Council on 20 July 2020, were either cancelled or reintroduced by RiverCity Ferries as follows:-
- The Norman Park Cross River service was cancelled permanently.
- Resumed services were:
- The Kangaroo Point Cross River service no longer stops at Thornton Street and Eagle Street, and instead operates from Holman Street to Riverside wharf only.
- Likewise the CityHopper service no longer stops at Dockside, Thornton Street and Eagle Street. Riverside Wharf can be used instead of Eagle Street.[9][10]
- The resumed services use the leased KittyCat catamarans.
Fleet
When operations commenced in November 2020, RiverCity Ferries's fleet consisted of 23 CityCats, three CityHoppers (none in service), six CityFerries (only one in service) and five KittyCats.[11] All except the KittyCats are owned by Brisbane City Council. The KittyCats are leased from Captain Cook Cruises.
CityCat ferries
The CityCat vessels are catamarans, and named after the Aboriginal place names for various parts of the Brisbane River and adjacent areas (with the exception of the 19th CityCat, the Spirit of Brisbane, which honours the 2011 flood recovery volunteers[12]). All CityCats are operated by a crew of three - a master, a deck hand and a ticket seller.
First generation
First generation CityCats have a capacity of 149 passengers.[5] These are to be replaced by additional fourth generation vessels.[13]
Name | MMSI | Call sign | Builder | Launched | Withdrawn | Namesake | Reference | Wrap Theme | Image |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Kurilpa | 503575300 | 11930QE | Brisbane Ship Constructions | November 1996 | West End | [14] | Brisbane City Council's corporate colours of blue, yellow and white | ![]() | |
Mirbarpa | 503575600 | 11930QE | Brisbane Ship Constructions | November 1996 | Indooroopilly | [14] | Brisbane City Council's corporate colours of blue, yellow and white | ![]() | |
Barrambin | 503575500 | 12013QE | Brisbane Ship Constructions | November 1996 | 2021 | Breakfast Creek | [14] | Commemoration of 20 Years of CityCat services | ![]() |
Tugulawa | 503575400 | 12014QE | Brisbane Ship Constructions | November 1996 | Bulimba | [14] | Brisbane City Council's corporate colours of blue, yellow and white | ![]() | |
Mianjin | 503575800 | 12132QE | Brisbane Ship Constructions | December 1996 | January 2021 | Gardens Point | [14] | Brisbane City Council's corporate colours of blue, yellow and white | ![]() |
Binkinba | 503575700 | 12133QE | Brisbane Ship Constructions | December 1996 | New Farm | [14] | Brisbane Bullets basketball team | ![]() | |
Mooroolbin | 503575900 | 20481QE | Brisbane Ship Constructions | October 1998 | Hamilton Sandbank | [14] | Brisbane City Council's corporate colours of blue, yellow and white | ![]() | |
Baneraba | 503576100 | 20854QE | Brisbane Ship Constructions | December 1998 | Toowong | [14] | Brisbane City Council's corporate colours of blue, yellow and white | ![]() | |
Second generation
Second generation CityCats have a capacity of 162 passengers.[5]
Name | MMSI | Call sign | Builder | Launched | Withdrawn | Namesake | Reference | Wrap Theme | Image |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Beenung-urrung | 503576200 | 26483QE | Norman R Wright & Sons | August 2004 | 1 March 2022 Sunk during the 2022 eastern Australia floods[15] | Highgate Hill | [16] | Brisbane Lions AFL team | ![]() |
Tunamun | 503576300 | 26579QE | Norman R Wright & Sons | June 2005 | Petrie Bight | [17] | Brisbane City Council's corporate colours of blue, yellow and white | ![]() | |
Meeandah | 503576400 | 28744QE | Norman R Wright & Sons | February 2008 | Meeandah | [18] | Brisbane City Council's corporate colours of blue, yellow and white | ![]() | |
Wilwinpa | 503576500 | 28744QE | Norman R Wright & Sons | June 2008 | Old Observatory[19] | [20] | Brisbane City Council's corporate colours of blue, yellow and white | ![]() | |
Ya-wa-gara | 503576600 | 27885QE | Norman R Wright & Sons | November 2008 | Breakfast Creek | [21] | Brisbane City Council's corporate colours of blue, yellow and white | ![]() | |
Mahreel | 503576700 | 27885QE | Norman R Wright & Sons | April 2009 | Spring Hill | [22] | Brisbane City Council's corporate colours of blue, yellow and white | ![]() | |
Third generation
Third generation CityCats have a capacity of 162 passengers.[5]
Name | MMSI | Call sign | Builder | Launched | Namesake | Reference | Wrap Theme | Image |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Kuluwin | 503576800 | 29438QE | Norman R Wright & Sons | February 2010 | Wooloowin | [23] | Brisbane City Council's corporate colours of blue, yellow and white | ![]() |
Gootcha | 503576900 | 29440QE | Norman R Wright & Sons | July 2010 | Toowong | [24] | Brisbane City Council's corporate colours of blue, yellow and white | ![]() |
Walan | 503577100 | 29439QE | Norman R Wright & Sons | December 2010 | Herston | [4] | Brisbane City Council's corporate colours of blue, yellow and white | ![]() |
Mudherri | 503577200 | 29437QE | Norman R Wright & Sons | July 2011 | Murarrie | [25] | Brisbane City Council's corporate colours of blue, yellow and white | ![]() |
Spirit of Brisbane | 503586200 | 29436QE | Norman R Wright & Sons | October 2011 | [26] | Brisbane City Council's corporate colours of blue, yellow and white | ![]() | |
Nar-dha | 503017210 | A3K0202 | Norman R Wright & Sons | November 2014 | Nudgee | [27] | Brisbane City Council's corporate colours of blue, yellow and white | ![]() |
Gilwunpa | 503025670 | 32038QE | Norman R Wright & Sons | June 2015 | Nundah | [28] | Brisbane City Council's corporate colours of blue, yellow and white | ![]() |
Fourth generation
Seven fourth generation CityCats are being delivered from late 2019. They have a capacity of 170 passengers, including 20 on an open upper deck, plus more space for wheelchairs and bicycles than earlier generations. The vessels which each cost $3.7 million, are being constructed at Murarrie by Aus Ships Group.[29][30][31]
In December 2019, Brisbane City Council awarded Aus Ships Group a contract for an additional six fourth generation CityCats to replace the first generation vessels at a cost of $3.73 million each.[13]
Name | MMSI | Call sign | Builder | Launched | Namesake | Reference | Image |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Yoogera | 503092890 | 456106 | Aus Ships | October 2019 | Mouth of Breakfast Creek | [32][33] | ![]() |
Neville Bonner | 503102970 | 457882 | Aus Ships | August 2020 | Neville Bonner | [34][35] | ![]() |
Mianjin II | 503110450 | 458416 | Aus Ships | May 2021 | Gardens Point | [36] | ![]() |
Barrambin II | Aus Ships | Breakfast Creek | [37] | ![]() | |||
Mooroolbin II | 503131370 | 459861 | Aus Ships | May 2022 | Hamilton Sandbank | [38] | |
Kurilpa II | 503138850 | 459862 | Aus Ships | December 2022 | West End | ||
City Cat 28 | Aus Ships | Temporary yard name | |||||
CityHopper ferries
CityHopper is the inner city ferry service. These are powered by 134 kW (180 hp) Scania engines, have a maximum speed of 12 knots (22 km/h; 14 mph) and are operated by a crew of one. As of October 2020, these vessels were currently out of service due to alleged issues with major maintenance.[39]
Name | Call sign | Builder | Launched | Namesake | Passengers | Image |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Mermaid | 4372QEC | Norman Park Boat Builders | 1988 | HMS Mermaid (1817), ship used by John Oxley who explored the Brisbane River in December 1823 | 78 | ![]() |
Doomba | 4902QE | Norman R Wright & Sons | 1989 | SS Doomba | 78 | ![]() |
Otter | 4908QE | Norman R Wright & Sons | 1989 | HMQS Otter | 78 | ![]() |
CityFerry ferries
CityFerry covers shorter distance and cross-river services. These are powered by 86 kW (115 hp) Perkins engines, have a maximum speed of 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph) and are operated by a crew of one.[5] All of these vessels are currently out of service due to alleged deterioration of their wooden hulls, except Kalparrin which has a steel hull.[39]
Name | Call sign | Builder | Launched | Namesake | Passengers | Image |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Bulimba | 959QE | Norman R Wright & Sons | 1984 | Bulimba | 47 | ![]() |
Lucinda | 1185QE | Norman Park Boat Builders | 1986 | Lucinda | 47 | ![]() |
Koopa | 1124QE | Norman Park Boat Builders | 1986 | SS Koopa, the Bribie Island ferry from 1912 to 1963 | 47 | ![]() |
Gayundah | 1283QE | Norman Park Boat Builders | 1986 | HMQS Gayundah | 47 | |
John Oxley | 6950QE | Norman R Wright & Sons | 1990 | John Oxley | 47 | |
Kalparrin | 9570QE | Queensland Port Services | 1993 | An Aboriginal word meaning "to help carry a load"[40] | 47 |

KittyCats
Five 12 m (39 ft) catamarans, nicknamed KittyCats, are being leased from RiverCity Ferries sister company Captain Cook Cruises in Sydney from November 2020 to operate the suspended CityHopper and cross river services while monohulled ferries are overhauled. The first, MV Cockle Bay, arrived in Brisbane in September 2020,[41] to fill in for suspended cross-river ferries awaiting repairs. They have a capacity of 60 passengers (36 seated, 24 standing) and are operated by a crew of one. They are powered by 2 x 184 kW (247 hp) Cummins QSB engines with an economical normal service speed of 18 knots (33 km/h; 21 mph) and a maximum speed of 24 knots (44 km/h; 28 mph).
Residents have expressed concerns with the noise of the new vessels, since they came into service. In May 2021, Council ordered SeaLink to fit mufflers to the vessels to reduce noise concerns.
Name | MMSI | Call sign | Builder | Launched | Namesake | Image |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Cockle Bay | 503047610 | Richardson Devine Marine | 2017 | Cockle Bay | ||
Blackwattle Bay | 503047620 | Richardson Devine Marine | 2017 | Blackwattle Bay | ||
White Bay | 503076850 | 455645 | Harwood Marine | 2018 | White Bay | |
Pyrmont Bay | 503076860 | 455653 | Harwood Marine | 2018 | Pyrmont Bay | |
Albert (#455645) | 2020 | ![]() | ||||
Eleanor (#452393) | 44544QE | 2020 | ![]() | |||
Melany (#455653) | 2020 | ![]() | ||||
Victoria (#454604) | 2020 | ![]() | ||||
Taylor (#444165) | 2020 | ![]() |
Network
The wharves are given in geographical order, heading upstream along the Brisbane River.
Wharf | Stopping pattern SE = SpeedyCat Express (weekday peak) CC = CityCat CH = CityHopper CF = CityFerry (cross river) |
Connections | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
SE | CC | CH | CF | CF | ||
Northshore Hamilton | ● | ● | ![]() | |||
Apollo Road | ● | ● | ![]() | |||
Bretts Wharf | ● | ![]() | ||||
Bulimba | ● | ● | ![]() | |||
Teneriffe | ● | ● | ● | ![]() | ||
Hawthorne | ● | ![]() | ||||
New Farm Park | ● | |||||
Mowbray Park | ● | |||||
Sydney Street | ● | ● | ||||
Holman Street | ● | ● | ||||
Riverside | ● | ● | ● | ● | ||
Maritime Museum | ● | |||||
South Bank 3 | ● | |||||
QUT Gardens Point | ● | |||||
South Bank 1 & 2 | ● | |||||
North Quay | ● | ● | ● | |||
Milton | ● | ![]() | ||||
Regatta | ● | ![]() | ||||
Guyatt Park | ● | |||||
West End | ● | ![]() | ||||
University of Queensland | ● | ● | ![]() |
References
- "SeaLink Travel Group Onboard As Brisbane's New Ferry Operator". SeaLink Travel Group. 29 June 2020. Retrieved 29 June 2020.
- SeaLink secures Brisbane CityCat contract Business News Australia 29 June 2020
- CityCat, SpeedyCat and ferry services Brisbane City Council
- Ferry operators to keep their jobs in new council contract Brisbane Times 29 June 2020
- "River City Ferries". River City Ferries. Retrieved 9 September 2021.
- "CityCat timetable" (PDF). Translink. 15 November 2020.
- "CityHopper timetable" (PDF). Translink. 15 November 2020. pp. 1–2.
- "Bulimba-Teneriffe cross river timetable" (PDF). TransLink. 15 November 2020. pp. 3–6.
- New timetable for CityHopper and Cross River services TransLink 26 October 2020
- Stone, Lucy (23 October 2020). "Council scuttles two Brisbane River ferry services permanently". Brisbane Times. Retrieved 30 October 2020.
- Fast Facts Archived 27 February 2015 at the Wayback Machine Transdev Brisbane Ferries
- "New CityCat honours Brisbane's flood heroes". Brisbane Times. Archived from the original on 5 October 2011. Retrieved 4 October 2011.
- "Council cuts CityCat ties with 100-year-old Brisbane boat supplier". Brisbane Times. 5 December 2019.
- Brisbane CityCats Archived 26 February 2015 at the Wayback Machine BSC Marine
- "CityCat network offline for months, bikeway damage could take years to repair, Brisbane City Council warns". ABC News. 8 March 2022.
- Griffith, Chris (2 August 2004). "Supercat's launch barely raises a ripple". The Courier-Mail. p. 4. Archived from the original on 1 March 2016. Retrieved 29 October 2013.
- Kennedy, Julian (22 June 2005). "Ferry fever catching". Brisbane City News (1 ed.). p. 12. Archived from the original on 12 August 2017. Retrieved 29 October 2013.
- "Brisbane CityCats". Norman R. Wrights & Sons. Retrieved 25 May 2019.
- Petrie, Constance Campbell; Petrie, Tom, 1831-1910 (1980). Tom Petrie's reminiscences of early Queensland (PDF). Currey O'Neil. p. 316. ISBN 978-0-85550-278-2.
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - Robinson, Georgina (23 June 2008). "New CityCat bolsters fleet". Brisbane Times. Archived from the original on 12 August 2017. Retrieved 29 October 2013.
- Waters, Georgia (13 November 2008). "Lucky 13 as Rice launches newest CityCat". Brisbane Times. Archived from the original on 5 March 2016. Retrieved 29 October 2013.
- Moore, Tony (21 April 2009). "CityCats to get military-style cameras". Brisbane Times. Archived from the original on 23 September 2015. Retrieved 29 October 2013.
- Moore, Tony (18 February 2010). "CityCats go express". Brisbane Times. Archived from the original on 23 September 2015. Retrieved 29 October 2013.
- Moore, Tony (2 July 2010). "New CityCat a floating canvas". Brisbane Times. Archived from the original on 23 September 2015. Retrieved 29 October 2013.
- Calligeros, Marissa (25 July 2011). "CityCat terminal to plumb new depths". Brisbane Times. Archived from the original on 25 February 2013. Retrieved 29 October 2013.
- Moore, Tony (4 October 2011). "New CityCat honours Brisbane's flood heroes". Brisbane Times. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 29 October 2013.
- Kim Stephens (4 November 2014). "CityCat No. 20 a floating tribute to leaders' summit". Brisbane Times. Fairfax Media. Archived from the original on 11 April 2015. Retrieved 4 November 2014.
- Queensland Firebird colours cover Brisbane CityCat ferry to mark 10 straight wins Archived 14 June 2015 at the Wayback Machine 612 ABC Brisbane 3 June 2015
- "CityCat 22". Brisbane City Council.
- "Multimillion-dollar double-decker CityCat to be built". Brisbane Times. 6 November 2018. Retrieved 20 December 2018.
- "Cat's out of the bag: First look inside Brisbane's double-decker CityCat". Brisbane Times. 20 August 2019.
- "Brisbane's first double-decker CityCat hits the water". Brisbane Times. 22 October 2019.
- "27m Passenger Catamaran - CityCat 22 "Yoogerah"". Aus Ships Group. Retrieved 6 September 2021.
- "Neville Bonner's legacy to travel the Brisbane River". Brisbane Times. 25 August 2020.
- "27m Passenger Catamaran - CityCat 23 "Neville Bonner"". Aus Ships Group. Retrieved 6 September 2021.
- "27m Passenger Catamaran - CityCat 24 "Mianjin II"". Aus Ships Group. Retrieved 6 September 2021.
- "27m Passenger Catamaran - CityCat 25 "Barrambin II"". Aus Ships Group. Retrieved 15 October 2021.
- "27m Passenger Catamaran - CityCat 26 "Mooroolbin II"". Aus Ships Group. Retrieved 30 January 2023.
- Council scuttles two Brisbane River ferry services permanently Brisbane Times 23 October 2020
- Gardan, Stephanie; Pemberton, Alexander Gordon; Graham, Verna E (1 January 1972). Kalparrin : a voluntary agency looks to itself. University of Queensland Press. p. 127. Retrieved 29 March 2020.
- "'KittyCats'".