The Freshwater Four: A Spotter's Guide to Sydney's Big Manly Ferries

If you have ever stood on the top deck of a big green-and-cream ferry as she rolls across the Heads, you have ridden one of the Freshwater four. For more than forty years these ferries have been the Manly run for generations of Sydneysiders, Northern Beaches kids, commuters and visitors from around the world. Here is a short history of each one, some things you may not know about them, and where to go to watch and photograph them this summer.

Why they were built

By the late 1970s the old Manly ferries were wearing out, and the state government went looking for a replacement. A 1976 design study looked at catamarans, hovercraft and hydrofoils before settling on a big double-ended ship that could carry around 1,200 passengers and berth at either end without turning around (Freshwater-class ferry, Wikipedia). The result was four sister ships built in Newcastle between 1982 and 1988, each named after a Northern Beaches beach.

Freshwater: the first

Freshwater's steel was laid down at the State Dockyard in Newcastle in October 1980. She was launched on 27 March 1982 and began carrying passengers to Manly in December 1982 (Pittwater Online News). She was meant to be retired in 2021, but she was kept on and has since had another major refurbishment (Transdev).

See the MV Freshwater 2027 Calendar

Queenscliff: the one that came back

Queenscliff entered service on 9 July 1983. She was retired on 13 October 2021, but after a refit she came back to the Manly run on 27 November 2023 (Wikipedia).

See the MV Queenscliff 2027 Calendar

Narrabeen: the third of her name

Narrabeen joined the fleet in 1984 and is the third Manly ferry to carry the name. The first was an iron paddle steamer built in 1886, and the second was a cargo ferry built in 1921 (Wikipedia). She was officially retired after a planned engine rebuild was cancelled. Then, after a long campaign and a refit with rebuilt engines and a new control system, she returned to the Circular Quay to Manly route in October 2025 (Transport for NSW).

See the MV Narrabeen 2027 Calendar

Collaroy: the youngest, and the one we may lose

Collaroy arrived in 1988 and was built a little differently from her sisters. She had stabilisers and extra radar for ocean cruises, thicker hull plating that made her the heaviest of the class, and a reversed funnel. She was also the first with open seating at each end of the upper deck. Passengers loved it so much that the other three were given the same open decks in the early 2000s. In 2000 she carried the Olympic Flame across Sydney Harbour (Wikipedia).

Collaroy made her last run on 27 September 2023. In July 2026 Transport for NSW signed a contract for her disposal at a shipyard on the Clarence River (Sydney Morning Herald). Her calendar is our way of remembering her, and of keeping the call to save the Collaroy alive.

See the MV Collaroy 2027 Calendar

Five things you might not know

• In March 1983, only months into service, Freshwater overshot Manly Wharf after a computer failure and ran aground in Manly Cove.
• In 1985 a passenger tried to hijack Freshwater and demanded to be taken out past the Heads. His "weapon" turned out to be an empty vodka bottle under his jacket.
• In the 1990s the big ferries took special trips beyond Sydney Heads to Wollongong, Broken Bay, the Central Coast and Newcastle.
• The open upper-deck seating at each end, everyone's favourite spot in a southerly swell, started on Collaroy.
• Because the ferries are double-ended, they never turn around. The "front" on the way to Manly becomes the "back" on the way home.

(All from the Freshwater-class ferry history.)

Where to watch and photograph them

• Manly Wharf and the Manly Cove beach: watch them swing in to berth, best in the soft morning or late-afternoon light.
• North Head and Fairfax Lookout: look down on the ferries crossing the Heads, especially when there is a swell running.
• Dobroyd Head and Grotto Point on the Manly to Spit walk: big harbour views of the ferries running between Manly and the Heads.
• Kirribilli, Milsons Point and the Opera House forecourt: classic shots with the Harbour Bridge behind.
• On board: grab a seat on the open upper deck at the Manly end for the Heads crossing, and keep your camera strap on.

Not every F1 sailing uses a Freshwater-class ferry, because the smaller Emerald-class catamarans share the route. Check the Transport NSW trip planner before you go if you want to ride one of the big ones.

Bring the Manly run home for 2027

We have made a 2027 wall calendar for each of the great Manly ferries: the steamship South Steyne and the four Freshwaters. Each one tells a ferry's story through twelve months of photographs by Haig Gilchrist, Geoff Eastwood and Paul Cristina, with Australian and NSW public holidays marked. They make a lovely Christmas gift for anyone who has ever ridden the Manly ferry.

Browse the full Manly Ferry 2027 Calendar series

• South Steyne 2027 Calendar
• MV Freshwater 2027 Calendar
• MV Queenscliff 2027 Calendar
• MV Narrabeen 2027 Calendar
• MV Collaroy 2027 Calendar

Do you have a Manly ferry memory, or a photo of one of the Freshwaters? Share it with us in the comments or on the Lost Manly Facebook page.