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.SeaLink secures Brisbane CityCat contract Business News Australia 29 June 2020
RiverCity Ferries operates 36 vessels serving 22 wharves on the Brisbane River under a ten-year contract (with an optional five-year extension) with the Brisbane City Council.CityCat, SpeedyCat and ferry services Brisbane City CouncilFerry operators to keep their jobs in new council contract Brisbane Times 29 June 2020 The company won the contract from the previous operator, Transdev Brisbane Ferries.
Services CityCat CityCat services began operating in November 1996 with a fleet of six high-speed catamarans. The service proved very popular with more than five million trips taken by 2004.
CityCat services operate from UQ St Lucia to Northshore Hamilton calling at West End, Guyatt Park, Regatta, Milton, North Quay, South Bank, QUT Gardens Point, Riverside, Howard Smith Wharves, Sydney Street, Mowbray Park, New Farm Park, Hawthorne, Bulimba, Teneriffe, Bretts Wharf and Apollo Road. Not all CityCat services stop all stops, with some peak time express services operating.
KittyCat KittyCat services operate cross-river between the following locations: Bulimba Teneriffe Sydney Street Dockside Holman Street Riverside Maritime Museum QUT Gardens Point
Fleet RiverCity Ferries's fleet consists of 27 CityCats and 5 KittyCats.Fast Facts Transdev Brisbane Ferries The CityCats are owned by Brisbane City Council. The KittyCats are leased from Captain Cook Cruises.
CityCats 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).
First generation First generation CityCats have a capacity of 149 passengers. These are to be replaced by additional fourth generation vessels. NameMMSICall signBuilderLaunchedWithdrawnNamesakeReferenceWrap ThemeImageKurilpa50357530011930QEBrisbane Ship ConstructionsNovember 1996June 2026West EndBrisbane CityCats BSC Marine Brisbane City Council's corporate colours of blue, yellow and white Mirbarpa50357560012012QEBrisbane Ship ConstructionsNovember 1996Indooroopilly Brisbane City Council's corporate colours of blue, yellow and white Barrambin50357550012013QEBrisbane Ship ConstructionsNovember 1996January 2021Breakfast Creek Commemoration of 20 Years of CityCat servicesTugulawa50357540012014QEBrisbane Ship ConstructionsNovember 1996Bulimba Brisbane City Council's corporate colours of blue, yellow and white Mianjin 50357580012132QEBrisbane Ship ConstructionsDecember 1996January 2021Gardens Point Brisbane City Council's corporate colours of blue, yellow and whiteBinkinba50357570012133QEBrisbane Ship ConstructionsDecember 1996New FarmBrisbane Bullets basketball teamMooroolbin50357590020481QEBrisbane Ship ConstructionsOctober 1998Hamilton SandbankBrisbane City Council's corporate colours of blue, yellow and white Baneraba50357610020854QEBrisbane Ship ConstructionsDecember 1998Toowong Brisbane City Council's corporate colours of blue, yellow and white
Second generation Second generation CityCats have a capacity of 162 passengers. NameMMSICall signBuilderLaunchedWithdrawnNamesakeReferenceWrap ThemeImageBeenung-urrung50357620026483QENorman R Wright & SonsAugust 20041 March 2022Sunk during the 2022 eastern Australia floodsHighgate HillBrisbane Lions AFL teamTunamun50357630026579QENorman R Wright & SonsJune 2005Petrie Bight Brisbane City Council's corporate colours of blue, yellow and white Meeandah50357640028744QENorman R Wright & SonsFebruary 2008Meeandah Brisbane City Council's corporate colours of blue, yellow and white Wilwinpa50357650027884QENorman R Wright & SonsJune 2008Old Observatory Brisbane City Council's corporate colours of blue, yellow and white Ya-wa-gara50357660027885QENorman R Wright & SonsNovember 2008Breakfast Creek Brisbane City Council's corporate colours of blue, yellow and white Mahreel50357670028922QENorman R Wright & SonsApril 2009Spring Hill Brisbane City Council's corporate colours of blue, yellow and white
Third generation Third generation CityCats have a capacity of 162 passengers. NameMMSICall signBuilderLaunchedNamesakeReferenceWrap ThemeImageKuluwin50357680029438QENorman R Wright & SonsFebruary 2010Wooloowin Brisbane City Council's corporate colours of blue, yellow and whiteGootcha50357690029440QENorman R Wright & SonsJuly 2010Toowong Brisbane City Council's corporate colours of blue, yellow and white Walan50357710029439QENorman R Wright & SonsDecember 2010Herston Brisbane City Council's corporate colours of blue, yellow and white Mudherri50357720029437QENorman R Wright & SonsJuly 2011Murarrie Brisbane City Council's corporate colours of blue, yellow and white Spirit of Brisbane50358620029436QENorman R Wright & SonsOctober 2011 Brisbane City Council's corporate colours of blue, yellow and white Nar-Dha503017210A3K0202Norman R Wright & SonsNovember 2014Nudgee Brisbane City Council's corporate colours of blue, yellow and white Gilwunpa50302567032038QENorman R Wright & SonsJune 2015NundahQueensland Firebird colours cover Brisbane CityCat ferry to mark 10 straight wins 612 ABC Brisbane 3 June 2015 Brisbane City Council's corporate colours of blue, yellow and white
Fourth generation Ten fourth generation CityCats were 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 each cost $3.7 million, and were constructed at Murarrie by Aus Ships Group.
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.
NameMMSICall signBuilderLaunchedNamesakeReferenceImageYoogera503092890456106Aus ShipsOctober 2019Mouth of Breakfast CreekNeville Bonner503102970457882Aus ShipsAugust 2020Neville BonnerMianjin II503110450458416Aus Ships May 2021Gardens Point Barrambin II503121140458624Aus Ships Breakfast Creek Mooroolbin II503131370459861Aus ShipsMay 2022Hamilton SandbankKurilpa II503138850459862Aus Ships December 2022West End Binkinba II503149810461419Aus Ships July 2023 New Farm (Place of the land tortoise)Tugulawa II503162010461417Aus Ships April 2024 BulimbaBaneraba II503178760464282Aus Ships March 2025 ToowongMirbarpa II503188570464908Aus ShipsIndooroopilly
KittyCats Five catamarans, nicknamed KittyCats, have been leased from RiverCity Ferries sister company Captain Cook Cruises in Sydney since November 2020 to operate the cross river services after the monohulled ferries were withdrawn. The first, MV Cockle Bay, arrived in Brisbane in September 2020. 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 Cummins QSB engines with an economical normal service speed of and a maximum speed of .
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.
NameMMSICall signBuilderLaunchedFormer nameImage Victoria 503047610 454605 Richardson Devine Marine 2017 Cockle Bay Taylor 503047620 444165 Richardson Devine Marine 2017 Blackwattle Bay Albert 503076850 455645 Harwood Marine 2018 White Bay Melany 503076860 455653 Harwood Marine 2018 Pyrmont Bay Eleanor 452393
EVCats A prototype electric ferry, to be called the EVCat, was announced by Brisbane Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner on 14 June 2023. Development would be funded by Brisbane City Council and developed jointly with River City Ferries and Aus Ships. The proposed prototype would be long and carry 50 passengers, larger than the KittyCats but smaller than the CityCats.
Former fleet Monohull ferries The monohulled ferries worked the inner city CityHopper and cross-river CityFerry services. All units were suspended from service in July 2020 following the discovery of rotten wood in their hulls and later replaced by KittyCats.Council scuttles two Brisbane River ferry services permanently Brisbane Times 23 October 2020 Restoration of these ferries was mooted but later abandoned due to cost and their 30+ year age; they were auctioned off in August 2022.
CityHopper These were powered by Scania engines, with a maximum speed of and were operated by a crew of one. From 28 January 2025, Brisbane's free CityHopper service ended. Cross River 'KittyCat' services now operate with standard $0.50 Translink fares.
NameCall signBuilderLaunchedNamesakePassengersImageMermaid4372QECNorman Park Boat Builders1988HMS Mermaid (1817), ship used by John Oxley who explored the Brisbane River in December 182378Doomba4902QENorman R Wright & Sons1989SS Doomba78Otter4908QENorman R Wright & Sons1989HMQS Otter78
CityFerry These were powered by Perkins engines, with a maximum speed of and were operated by a crew of one.
NameCall signBuilderLaunchedNamesakePassengersImageBulimba959QENorman R Wright & Sons1984Bulimba47Lucinda1185QENorman Park Boat Builders1986Lucinda47Koopa1124QENorman Park Boat Builders1986SS Koopa, the Bribie Island ferry from 1912 to 196347Gayundah1283QENorman Park Boat Builders1986HMQS Gayundah47John Oxley6950QENorman R Wright & Sons1990John Oxley47Kalparrin9570QEQueensland Port Services1993An Aboriginal word meaning "to help carry a load"47
Network The wharves are listed in geographical order, heading upstream along the Brisbane River.
WharvesStopping PatternSC = SpeedyCatCC = CityCatKC = KittyCatConnectionsSCCCKCNorthshore HamiltonApollo RoadBretts WharfBulimbaTeneriffe Blue CityGliderHawthorneNew Farm ParkMowbray Park Sydney Street DocksideHoward Smith WharvesHolman Street RiversideMaritime Museum QUT Gardens Point South BankNorth QuayMilton Regatta Guyatt Park West End Blue CityGliderUQ St Lucia
See also Transport in Brisbane Transport for Brisbane
References