25–30 minutes, an adult single of $22 and space for four bikes: that is the crossing from St Kilda Pier to Gem Pier in Williamstown on The Coastal Flyer. The catch is the calendar. This is a small private boat whose sailing days shift with the season, the sunset and the weather on Port Phillip.
Timetable, days-of-operation and booking pages read on 15 October 2026; the operator updates them as the season changes St Kilda Ferry – Timetable · 2026-10-15
25 to 30 minutes separate St Kilda Pier from Gem Pier in Williamstown on the St Kilda Ferry, and an adult single costs $22, or $34 return. The same boat, The Coastal Flyer, also calls at Port Melbourne: 15 to 20 minutes from Williamstown, but 55 to 60 minutes from St Kilda, because it goes the long way round via Williamstown.
Behind those figures is a modest operation. The ferry began in 2016 with The Coastal Flyer's first crossing of the bay and added Port Melbourne in early 2018, a stop the operator promotes for its link to the 109 tram, about ten minutes from the city. It is run as a small private business that sets its own fares and sailing days.
That matters, because the sailing days move. On 15 October 2026 the operator's days-of-operation page still described the passenger ferry as running afternoons only until spring 2026, and on evenings with a sunset penguin cruise from St Kilda it ran just one boat each way to connect with it. Bad weather on Port Phillip can cancel any trip at short notice.
Fares depend on the pair of piers, not on the time of day. You can pay at the pier if there is space, but seats are limited and the operator steers everyone to online booking, especially in the warmer months; add a phone number so the crew can reach you if weather cancels the trip. Infants travel free on every leg.
| Adult, one way | $ 22 |
| Adult, return | $ 34 |
| Concession, one way | $ 20 |
| Concession, return | $ 31 |
| Child, one way | $ 12 |
| Child, return | $ 18 |
| Family, one way | $ 58 |
| Family, return | $ 90 |
| Adult, one way | $ 20 |
| Adult, return | $ 29 |
| Concession, one way | $ 17 |
| Concession, return | $ 26 |
| Child, one way | $ 11 |
| Child, return | $ 16 |
| Family, one way | $ 54 |
| Family, return | $ 80 |
| Adult, one way | $ 33 |
| Adult, return | $ 45 |
| Concession, one way | $ 29 |
| Concession, return | $ 40 |
| Child, one way | $ 16 |
| Child, return | $ 22 |
| Family, one way | $ 85 |
| Family, return | $ 115 |
| Bicycle, each way (phone or in person) | $ 4 |
| Infant | Free |
Ferry fares from the operator's prices page, read on 15 October 2026 (no effective date printed) St Kilda Ferry – Prices · 2026-10-15
The St Kilda end has changed more than the boat. The state government's $53 million rebuild of St Kilda Pier opened on 7 December 2024: a 450-metre structure with a low landing designed to let ferries and tour boats put passengers ashore more easily. Dredging around the inner low landing finished in July 2025, when a notice to mariners declared it available for berthing. Across the water at Williamstown, Gem Pier sits beside the museum ship HMAS Castlemaine.
This is one of several ways to cross Melbourne's bay by water, and the others solve different problems. Near the mouth of the Yarra, the pedestrian-and-bike Westgate Punt makes a few minutes' hop from Spotswood to the Port Melbourne bank. For the Bellarine Peninsula, the scheduled boats run from Docklands to Portarlington and Geelong, and at the mouth of Port Phillip the car ferry joins Sorrento and Queenscliff.
Walk out along the pier and take the finger pier on the right, about 100 to 150 m from the shore, where a Parks Victoria sign marks the passenger ferry berth and the operator's own signs stand. All St Kilda departures, penguin cruises included, start here. The operator's parking tip is the area by the St Kilda Sea Baths.
The Coastal Flyer ties up in front of the old warship HMAS Castlemaine, now a museum. For parking the crew points drivers to Ann Street, down from the police station, where spaces are free and untimed. The third stop, used only by the daytime ferry, is Station Pier in Port Melbourne, in front of Mr Hobson's cafe, with paid street parking behind it.
The service is weather-dependent and some days it does not sail. Cancellations and changes appear as a red banner across the operator's website; the phone lines are 0481 416 215 and 0412 320 315.
Be at the pier at least five minutes before departure, or 15 minutes for a penguin cruise.
The boat is mostly not wheelchair accessible. Passengers who can walk an assisted ramp with handrails and two steps down are helped aboard by the crew.
Supervised dogs may travel on the passenger runs and may need carrying over the gangplank; they are not allowed on penguin cruises. There is a small toilet and a few drinks and snacks on board.
If you are planning a Saturday in Williamstown, book the outward and return legs together and check the date on the confirmation. The booking system writes dates backwards and times on a 24-hour clock, so a code such as 250330 19:10 means 30 March 2025 at 7.10pm, an example the operator gives itself. Bikes need a phone call before you book, because only four fit and on busy runs they may be strapped to the bow, where spray is likely.
25 to 30 minutes between St Kilda Pier and Gem Pier. Continuing to Port Melbourne adds about half an hour, since that leg goes via Williamstown.
$90 for a family return between St Kilda and Williamstown, or $58 one way. Adults on their own pay $34 return.
No. Sailing days change through the year. On 15 October 2026 the operator listed afternoon services only until spring, and its booking calendar skipped several Mondays, 31 October and Christmas Day. Check the dates in the booking form.
From the finger pier on the right as you walk out, roughly 100 to 150 metres from the shore, at the berth signed for passenger ferries.
Yes, up to four bikes per trip at $4 each way. Call before booking so the crew can hold a space.
Trips are cancelled when the bay is unsafe. The operator posts changes in a red banner on its website and phones passengers, which is why it asks for a number when you book.