One boat each way, a compulsory stop at Portarlington and a fare that grows by 8% at the checkout: the Geelong–Docklands ferry is the slow, scenic alternative to the V/Line train, and on weekdays it sails only in the school holidays. The operator's booking calendar shows no direct sailing through February 2027.
Port Phillip Ferries off-peak and peak timetables, checked against its booking calendar for every date from 24 September 2026 to 28 February 2027; read on 24 September 2026 Port Phillip Ferries – Geelong ↔ Docklands and All Timetables · 2026-09-24
The V/Line train is the obvious way between Geelong and Melbourne. It runs from Geelong station to Southern Cross, and on myki a full-fare adult cannot be charged more than the daily cap Transport Victoria publishes — $5.70 on a weekday, $4.00 on a Saturday or Sunday. The Princes Freeway is the other default. Against both, the Port Phillip Ferries catamaran looks poor value on paper: 2 hours 10 minutes from the Geelong Waterfront to Docklands, one departure each way on the days it sails, and $31.32 for a weekend adult single once the fuel levy is added.
What the boat sells instead is Port Phillip Bay. It leaves from beside the Carousel on Corio Bay, calls at Portarlington on the Bellarine Peninsula and ties up across the road from Marvel Stadium, a short walk from Southern Cross. Every Geelong sailing on the current timetable goes via Portarlington. The operator's FAQ still describes a direct Geelong run of 95 minutes, but no direct departure appears in its timetables or in its booking calendar between now and the end of February 2027, so plan on the stop.
The calendar needs planning too. Outside Victorian school holidays the Geelong boat is a weekend and public-holiday service: 10:40 from Docklands, 16:00 from Geelong. In most school holidays a weekday pattern is added on Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays, leaving Docklands at 09:30 and Geelong at 15:00. Tuesdays are the gap in both.
The fare shown on the Geelong route page, and again on the booking screen, is the price before the levy. Since 4:00 pm on Friday 4 September 2026 Port Phillip Ferries has added a temporary 8% fuel levy to standard tickets; the booking system adds it as a separate line on each passenger. A $29.00 weekend adult single therefore costs $31.32, and a return $62.64. The operator's own levy-inclusive table, further down its main tickets page, agrees with that arithmetic to the cent.
Two cheaper-looking options turn out narrower than they sound. The weekday fare of $25.00 before the levy applies only on the weekdays the Geelong boat actually runs, which means school holidays. And the PortPlus passes that are exempt from the levy are sold for Portarlington–Docklands travel only, so every Geelong passenger pays it.
| Adult | $ 31.32 |
| Concession, senior or student | $ 28.62 |
| Child 4–16 | $ 21.60 |
| Family, 2 adults and 2 children | $ 90.18 |
| Infant 0–3, seat must be booked | Free |
| Adult | $ 27 |
| Concession, senior or student | $ 24.30 |
| Child 4–16 | $ 17.28 |
| Family, 2 adults and 2 children | $ 76.14 |
| Adult, weekend or public holiday | $ 29 |
| Concession, weekend or public holiday | $ 26.50 |
| Child 4–16, weekend or public holiday | $ 20 |
| Adult, weekday | $ 25 |
| Concession, weekday | $ 22.50 |
| Child 4–16, weekday | $ 16 |
| Bicycle, booked with your ticket | Free |
Port Phillip Ferries fare sheets for 3 August 2026 – 31 December 2027, with the temporary 8% fuel levy in force since 4 September 2026; read on 24 September 2026 Port Phillip Ferries – Tickets and Timetables, pricing including the 8% fuel levy · 2026-09-24
Leaving Corio Bay, the boat runs east along the northern shore of the Bellarine Peninsula to Portarlington — about 28 kilometres on the route line in the operator's published data feed, and 40 minutes on the timetable. From Portarlington it heads north-east across Port Phillip for roughly 49 kilometres and 70 minutes, enters the mouth of the Yarra and follows the river up into Victoria Harbour. Geelong and Docklands sit about 63 kilometres apart as the crow flies; the Portarlington call stretches the voyage to around 77.
The boat ties up at the shore end of Cunningham Pier, right beside the Carousel, about three minutes on foot from the Geelong CBD. For drivers the operator points to the Cunningham Pier car park as the closest option, with more parking scattered through central Geelong.
What Geelong lacks is somewhere to buy a ticket. Nothing is sold at the berth or on board, and the two over-the-counter outlets Port Phillip Ferries names are the Portarlington Post Office and the Portarlington Grand Hotel — useful to Bellarine locals, less so to anyone standing on Eastern Beach Road. Book online before you walk down.
The Melbourne end is a proper terminal, on the Victoria Harbour promenade directly across Harbour Esplanade from Marvel Stadium. Southern Cross station is five to ten minutes away on foot, with an outdoor lift up to Harbour Esplanade for step-free access, and stop D3 of the free city tram zone is next door. Staff at the terminal sell tickets during opening hours, by card only, up to 40 minutes before a sailing. Paid parking is across the road at Marvel Stadium or a short walk away at District Docklands.
Every passenger needs a pre-booked ticket, on a phone or printed. Boarding opens 20 minutes before departure and closes three minutes before, and a missed booking is not refunded.
Bikes ride free, but each vessel holds 20, so add yours to the booking and allow a few extra minutes to secure it. Motorbikes and Vespa-style scooters are not allowed.
Wheelchairs and mobility scooters up to 450 kg and 800 mm wide can board, with space on the lower deck near the café and toilets. Prams are welcome too.
Accredited guide dogs and assistance animals travel; pets do not.
There are racks on board, but no left-luggage at either terminal, and the boat will not carry bags or parcels without their owner.
Tickets are non-refundable. The Geelong route page says to phone more than 48 hours ahead to ask for a date change, while the FAQ says no changes within 24 hours. Aim for the longer limit.
Port Phillip Ferries was founded by the businessman Paul Little. It started with Portarlington in November 2016, under an agreement the Victorian Government announced to keep that service running for at least three years, and added Geelong in December 2019 with a catamaran built for the job. Transport Victoria counts it among the ferry services it oversees, but it sits outside the myki network: the operator sets and collects the fare.
Put the timetable next to the train and the ferry's real use becomes clear. From Melbourne it makes a day out — reach Geelong at 12:50 on a Saturday, leave at 16:00, and you have three hours and ten minutes on the waterfront. From Geelong it only works one way, because the first departure is mid-afternoon; a trip to the city by boat means coming home on the V/Line. Watch the booking screen, too: the Geelong adult fare is still labelled Adult (7am service), a leftover from the direct morning boat that no longer runs.
Not by boat both ways. The only Geelong departure of the day is in the afternoon — 15:00 on school-holiday weekdays, 16:00 at weekends — so a Geelong-based trip needs the V/Line for one leg. The reverse works: leave Docklands at 10:40 on a Saturday, arrive at 12:50, and catch the 16:00 back.
Yes, on the current timetable. The morning boat from Docklands reaches Portarlington after 70 minutes, waits about 20 and arrives in Geelong 40 minutes later. The afternoon boat does the same in reverse, so the whole trip is 2 hours 10 minutes.
Not on the Geelong route page or the booking screen, which both show the fare before the levy. It is added per passenger at checkout: a $29.00 weekend adult single becomes $31.32 and a $25.00 weekday one becomes $27.00. The levy has applied since 4 September 2026 and has no end date.
Normally no. Tuesdays are left out of both the weekend and the school-holiday weekday patterns. The exceptions are public holidays, which use the weekend times — Melbourne Cup Day on 3 November 2026 and Australia Day on 26 January 2027 — and Tuesday 29 December, in the week when the boat runs daily.
No. Transport Victoria states that Port Phillip Ferries is not a myki-ticketed service, and the operator describes itself as privately run and not linked to the public transport system. You need one of its own tickets, bought in advance.
Online is the only practical option. There is no ticket desk at the Geelong berth and no sales on board. In person, tickets are sold at the Melbourne Ferry Terminal in Docklands, by card, until 40 minutes before departure, and at the Portarlington Post Office and the Portarlington Grand Hotel.
It is not running. The operator's FAQ still quotes a direct Docklands–Geelong trip of 95 minutes, but every sailing in its timetables and booking calendar through February 2027 is marked as going via Portarlington. Allow 2 hours 10 minutes.
No. From 5 October to 15 December 2026 the Geelong service runs on Saturdays, Sundays and Melbourne Cup Day only. The Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday sailings return on 16 December.