Travel to Tea Gardens with the iconic Tea Gardens Ferry

1. Mumms on Myall Website: https://www.mummsonthemyall.com.au/ Phone: (02) 4997 1162

2. Tea Gardens Boatshed (Fish Market) Website: https://www.teagardensboatshed.com/ Phone: (02) 4997 0307

3. Tea Gardens Hotel Website: https://teagardenshotel.com/ Phone: (02) 4997 0203

4. Galleries in the Gardens (Art Gallery) Website: https://galleriesinthegardens.com.au/ Phone: 0408 605 927

5. The Ice Cream Shack https://www.facebook.com/teagardensicecreamshack/  Phone: (02) 4997 1990

6. Myall River Bakery https://www.facebook.com/p/Myall-River-Bakery-Cafe-100044211198610/  Phone: (02) 4997 1099

7. Tillermans Website: https://tillermans.com.au/ Phone: (02) 4997 0138

8. Hook n Cook https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=142603152465076&_rdr  Phone: (02) 4997 1899

9. Bohemian Spirit Website: https://www.bohemianspirit.com.au/ Phone: 0425 205 923

10. Circle of Friends https://www.facebook.com/circleoffriendsteagardens/  Phone: 0448 070 892

11. 2 Fat Bakers (Hawks Nest) Website: https://barringtoncoast.com.au/directory/2-fat-bakers-bakery Phone: 0432 072 079

12. Tea Gardens Country Club Website: https://www.tgcc.com.au/ Phone: (02) 4997 0250

13. Hawks Nest Golf Club Website: https://www.hawksnestgolfclub.com.au/ Phone: (02) 4997 0145

14. Benchmark on Booner Website: http://benchmarkbar.com Phone: (02) 4997 2980

In 1904 the first passenger ferry between Nelson Bay and Tea Gardens was started by the Boyce and Thurlo families. 

It proved such a success that the runs were expanded to Salt Ash and Soldiers Point. They operated three launches; “Reliance”, “Kingfisher” and “Replica”. 

These petrol driven vessels carried supplies and passengers on a daily basis. 

In 1927 the business was taken over by the Engal family, who installed the first diesel engines to operate on Port Stephens. With the outbreak of World War II the vessels were commandeered and the Engal family was forced to close. 

In 1987 the ferry service was re-established with an aluminium vessel named “Waterbus” operating four days a week between Nelson Bay and Tea Gardens. 

In the early 1990’s Harry Littler and family purchased Bluebird and Melissa, now gracing our waterways as MV Jesse and MV Tea Gardens.

MV Tea Gardens

Built in 1944 during WWII for the RAAF Marines division, MV Tea Gardens has a long and colourful history. Her original commission was for the transport of munitions to Catalina flying boats. She was built at the Slazenger shipyard in Putney on the Parramatta River, overseen by legendary shipwright Bill Fisher. When the war ended in 1945, she was converted into a ferry by Atlas Engineering. In 1948 she was sold to the Hawkesbury River Tourist Service, where she ran for many years. The Port Jackson and Manly Steamship Company then purchased her for use on their Pittwater service. In 1970 she was sold to Palm Beach and Bobbin Head Ferries, before returning to the Manly Steamship Company in mid-1974. In 1980 she was again sold and renamed “Melissa”, running the Palm Beach Ferry Service between the Basin, Currawong and Great Mackeral Beach area. She was then re-homed in Port Stephens in the late 1990’s, and continues to run between Nelson Bay and Tea Gardens

Today, the ferry service operates two historic timber ferries on a daily basis, carrying thousands of passengers each year between Nelson Bay to Tea Gardens. It’s a ferry ride that both visitors and locals can enjoy, taking in the beautiful vista of the bay up to Tea Gardens on the Myall River, and all the surrounding bird and marine life that the area has to offer.