There are a number of privately owned ferry companies that ply Sydney Harbour. However, the iconic ferries, the green'n'golds, are part of the state owned public transport system. Still owned by the state, just last month their operations were contracted our to a private consortium. There will be changes, but in the future, and small, and dare I say, sneaky.
There are 8 routes that Sydney Ferries ply: Darling Harbour, Parramatta River, Woolwich, Neutral Bay, Mosman, Eastern Suburbs, Manly, and Taronga Zoo. Each of these routes has a number of wharves at which the ferry stops, making it an excellent way to see our city.
The Manly route takes about 30 minutes and is serviced by four ferries: the 'Freshwater', the 'Queenscliff', the 'Narrabeen', and the 'Collaroy'. It is one of the few non-stop routes; your journey starts at Circular Quay, and the ferry does not stop until it docks at Manly wharf.
The views on the journey are to die for. I have cranked up the contrast and the saturation in some of these, but my head was seeing the landscape this vividly. The swell can get a bit 'whoofy' as you cross the open water between the Heads, but the views are more than mere consolation.
This is the first of my posts about Sydney's ferry network. By the end of 2012, I will have journeyed all eight routes.