The Wymah Ferry is closed for repairs needed on damaged tracks, with Transport for NSW advising it is only a temporary closure and there are detours in place. Photo: nsw.gov.au.
The Wymah Ferry is one of the region’s best kept secrets, says regular user Ben Stewart from Wodonga.
The closure announced by Transport for NSW on 25 January means Ben, and many others, have to find an alternative route that adds 80 to 130 kms to the trip while repair works are carried out.
While Ben admits he doesn’t use the ferry for work purposes, he says the route from Wodonga to Albury via the ferry and Bowna is one of the best trips in the district and one he takes most weekends on his motorbike.
“I just love it, I don’t know why; I think it reminds me of my childhood when my grandparents used to take me on the ferry at Rosebud.
“It bothers me that not many people know about it! I’ve taken at least 20 or 30 of my friends over it who never even knew it was there.”
It’s unknown how long the repair works will take on the service, which crosses the Murray between Wymah (NSW) and Granya (VIC).
A Transport for NSW spokesperson said the temporary closure was needed to repair a section of the rails used by the loading jetty on the Victorian side.
“Falling water levels at the crossing have uncovered damage to a section of the jetty’s rails and these need to be repaired to allow the ferry to be docked safely.
“Engineers are still assessing the cause of the damage; at this stage it is not clear if high water levels and current contributed.”
Ben, 35 and a truck driver, hopes the repair works won’t take long but he worries about the future of the service.
“I am worried that it’s not going to come back. I hope it’s not going to be shut down for good; it’s currently a free service and runs all day and I hope it doesn’t become a cost issue with ongoing maintenance, fuel costs and wages.
“I’d be happy to pay to use it, just for the experience.
“It’s a great trip; you get to go on a boat, in your car or on a motorbike, over the water; it’s just a cool all-round experience.
“I was actually lucky to find it. The only reason I first found it was because I turned the truck down the wrong road and got stuck and had to back out!”
For Wodonga motorbike enthusiast Ben Stewart round trips which take in the Wymah Ferry are off the cards for a weekend run while repairs are undertaken. Photo: Ben Stewart.
Wymah contract ferry driver Amanda says the trip across the Murray River is popular with various groups from car clubs to disability services and also plays an important role for emergency services during the fire season.
“I hope we are up and running again very soon and that the word gets out that we are temporarily out of service; we’ve already had a few people turning up that we’ve had to tell about the detours.”
In her seven years as the ferry’s contract supervisor she’s seen water levels fluctuate between eight per cent in 2019 to 100 per cent in recent years.
“At the moment we are at 41 per cent but we’ve had nearly four years where it’s been between 100 and 76 per cent.
“Never have we had a high river on this Murray that’s sat at that level for four years straight so the railway track has had to deal with that sort of current for a long period of time.”
Amanda moved from Swan Hill to take up the ferry driver job.
“It’s absolutely stunning here. I’d only just been trained in the ferry industry when I got the job but I had 10 years on paddle boats before that. It helped that I already had 10 years’ river experience; you’d never put someone so new to ferries in that position unless they had extensive river experience.”
She said there were pamphlets and information on display to show drivers the alternative routes.
“On an average day in an average week we can get about 25-30 cars a day and during school holidays it can be 60 vehicles or more.
“On Australia Day we had a two-kilometre line-up. I kept telling everyone, ‘You know we are open every other day of the year!'” she laughs.
She says the temporary closure has come at an interesting time for her.
“I happened to get bitten by my cat the other day and I’ve only just got out of hospital as I had to have my wrist operated on, so I’ve now got a cast to wear for six weeks.
“I’d like to think I could drive the ferry one-handed but with the time off it is going to heal quicker.”
The alternative route across the Murray River is available to motorists at either the Bethanga or Jingellic bridges. These detours will add 80 kilometres or 130 kilometres respectively to the trip and up to one hour and 15 minutes of extra travel time.
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