A Kids Trip To Parramatta By Rivercat

Parramatta has so many things to do, great playgrounds, cafes and restaurants, walks and shops too. If you don’t live close by, taking the Rivercat to Parramatta is fun and very scenic.

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Going aboard the Rivercat

Parramatta Rivercat Map of Route

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The Parramatta Rivercat Ferry leaves from Circular Quay, it’s called Route F3.

Check out the F3 timetable on the Transport NSW website here.

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The journey takes about one hour and 20 minutes. Don’t complain, the same journey used to take a week in colonial times.

Once past the Harbour Bridge, you pass the pretty suburbs of Balmain, Birchgrove, Greenwich and Woolwich.

Then the ferry stops at the lovely Cockatoo Island, excellent itself for a day trip.

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The waters of the Parramatta River become calm and there are no more ocean-going vessels around at all.

This is Gladesville Bridge in the photo below.

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Below is the Concord Road bridge.

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And the railway bridge just beyond it.

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Sydney Olympic Park is further along and now there are many mangroves at the water’s edge.

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Another ferry passes by.

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We travelled in the colder months on a windy day so it was good to warm up inside the ferry for a while.

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The river narrows a great deal as we head into Parramatta.

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And there is Parramatta itself.

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There’s a cafe right beside the wharf, excellent for warming hot chocolates.

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Once arrived, we visited the excellent Parramatta River Foreshore Playground, read more here.

Parramatta River Foreshore Playground pic

There are also excellent playgrounds in Parramatta Park, a 15 – 20 minute walk away.

There are so many great cafes, ice cream shops and good restaurants on Church Street, well worth a visit.

For more info on Parramatta, head to the ParraParents website. 

We enjoyed our ferry trip and visit to Parramatta. Next time we go, it’ll be on a warmer and less windy day though.

What’s your top tip for a trip to Parramatta with kids?

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