Three cars, six minutes, no fare. The Spirit of Wymah is a Transport for NSW cable ferry across the River Murray east of Albury, and its limits matter more than its timetable: the state says it is not suitable for caravans, and it stops every first Wednesday morning.
Hours from the NSW Government vehicle ferries page (Transport for NSW), updated 23 September 2026 and read on 1 October 2026. The September–April hours apply now; the May–August hours are the next period published NSW Government (Transport for NSW) – Vehicle ferries: Wymah ferry · 2026-10-01
3 cars, 6 minutes, $0. Those are the Wymah ferry's figures on the NSW Government's vehicle ferries page, last updated on 23 September 2026. The Spirit of Wymah is a cable ferry owned by Transport for NSW, crossing the River Murray about 45 kilometres east of Albury between Wymah, in New South Wales, and Granya, on the Victorian bank. It works on demand seven days a week, from 6:00am to 9:00pm between September and April and from 7:00am to 8:00pm between May and August, and it stops for maintenance on the first Wednesday of every month from 9:00am to 12:00pm.
The size is the real constraint. The state's page says the ferry takes three cars and is not suitable for caravans. When the ferry came back from a six-week overhaul in June 2023, the minister's release gave a 30-tonne limit and room for three standard vehicles, two fire trucks or twelve people. Greater Hume Council, on the NSW bank, prints a different set of numbers: 35 tonnes, and caravans or camper trailers accepted if the whole rig is no longer than 17 metres. The owner's word is the one to plan on, so if you are towing, ring before committing to the river road.
The next date to note is February 2027. On 29 September 2026 the NSW Government announced that Transport for NSW, which already owns the boat and the landings, will take over the running of Wymah and eleven other state-owned car ferries from that month, as the current contracts expire, and that the existing crews will be offered jobs with the department. No change to the hours has been announced.
Nobody pays at Wymah. Transport for NSW charges nothing on any of the vehicle ferries it owns, from the Murray to the Lawrence crossing on the Clarence, and neither the council nor the minister's 2023 release mentions any charge for this border crossing, so a Victorian ute and a New South Wales stock truck cross on the same terms.
| Car, ute or four-wheel drive | Free |
| Truck within the ferry's limits | Free |
| Horse and rider | Free |
| Walking or cycling | Free |
No charge, as stated by the NSW Government for all its vehicle ferries, read on 1 October 2026 NSW Government (Transport for NSW) – Vehicle ferries · 2026-10-01
The crossing is about 480 metres from ramp to ramp on the ferry lines drawn by the New South Wales and Victorian mapping agencies, and Transport for NSW puts it around 45 kilometres east of Albury. If the ferry is shut, the road alternatives are the bridges at Bethanga and Jingellic; in 2025 the department said those detours add about 80 and 130 kilometres respectively, and up to an hour and a quarter of driving. The only other car ferry still crossing between the two states, the three-car Speewa ferry near Swan Hill, is a long way downstream.
The northern ramp is at the end of Wymah Ferry Road on the New South Wales side, in Greater Hume Council's district. The council's page on the district warns that the River Road along this part of the Upper Murray is unsealed in places.
On the Victorian bank the ferry lands at Granya, where Victoria's road mapping continues the crossing as Wymah Ferry Road up to Murray River Road. This is the side whose loading jetty rails were damaged in January 2025 and closed the ferry for repairs.
Transport for NSW and the state's tourism site both say the ferry is not suitable for caravans. Greater Hume Council says caravans and camper trailers are fine if the whole combination is no longer than 17 metres. With the owner saying no, confirm before you commit to the ferry road.
The 2023 ministerial release gives the ferry a 30-tonne limit and says it can take three standard vehicles, two fire trucks or twelve people. The council prints 35 tonnes. Plan on the lower figure.
Every month the ferry stops for scheduled maintenance on the first Wednesday from 9:00am to 12:00pm. Unlike three Sydney-area ferries on the same state page, Wymah has no change to that slot announced for November 2026.
Greater Hume Council lists three short daily closures for crew meals, mid-morning, around lunchtime and early evening, that the state's page leaves out. A ferry tied up at those times is probably on a break.
Via the Bethanga bridge the detour is about 80 extra kilometres, via Jingellic about 130, according to Transport for NSW. Either can add up to an hour and a quarter.
Live Traffic NSW, online, in the app or on 132 701, is where the state posts closures. The council also gives a number for the ferry itself, 02 6020 2038.
The boat is younger than the crossing. Announcing her return in June 2023, NSW's regional transport minister described the Spirit of Wymah as only about ten years old, while noting that ferries have joined New South Wales and Victoria on this part of the Murray for more than a century. The overhaul gave her a new engine and hydraulic drive motor, 1.5 kilometres of fresh cable and a repainted hull; Murray ferries must go through this every five years. Greater Hume Council and the state tourism site still describe a heritage ferry built in 1946, which does not square with the minister's figure. The 1946 date may belong to an earlier vessel, but no official source we found says so.
The river has shut the crossing more recently. On Saturday 25 January 2025, with the water dropping, Transport for NSW found damage to the rails of the loading jetty on the Victorian side and withdrew the ferry from service, sending drivers round by Bethanga or Jingellic. The council's site now carries the state's advice that the ferry is open again. Back on the NSW bank, the old Wymah school, closed in 1983, reopened in 2013 as the Wymah Museum, where the ferry's story sits alongside those of the district's first settler families.
From September to April, 6:00am to 9:00pm; from May to August, 7:00am to 8:00pm; seven days a week, according to Transport for NSW. The exception is the first Wednesday of each month, when it closes from 9:00am to 12:00pm for maintenance.
Not according to the state: Transport for NSW describes the ferry as unsuitable for caravans. Greater Hume Council says combinations up to 17 metres are allowed. Because the two disagree and the state owns the ferry, check by phone before towing down to the ramp.
The rule is the first Wednesday of the month, 9:00am to 12:00pm, which makes the next ones 7 October, 4 November and 2 December 2026, and 6 January 2027.
No. All of Transport for NSW's vehicle ferries are free, whichever state your car is registered in.
Transport for NSW gave the detours in January 2025: about 80 extra kilometres via the Bethanga bridge or 130 via Jingellic, adding up to an hour and a quarter.
Transport for NSW itself. From February 2027 it takes over operation of the Wymah ferry and eleven other state-owned car ferries as the current contracts end, offering the present crews jobs.
New South Wales. It is owned and managed by Transport for NSW, although it lands on the Victorian bank at Granya, and Victorian drivers use it on the same free terms.