FAQs

When booking a vehicle online, you must select the make, model, and year of the vehicle, as well as specify if it is an Electric or Hybrid vehicle (EV). The length will be determined automatically from the database.

Vehicles up to and including 5.9 metres in length can be booked online. The length must include any protrusions like towbars, bike racks, bull bars, and roof luggage, and be less than 2.3 metres in height.

Trailers and caravans up to 5 metres can also be added to an online vehicle booking, but if the total length of vehicle and trailer, or caravan, exceeds 9.9 metres, and/or is over 2.3 metres in height, please contact our Sales Centre to book.

For campervans and motorhomes that exceed 5 metres in length, or 2.3 metres in height please call our Sales Centre on 13 13 01 or email [email protected] for prices and availability.

If your vehicle is a Truck, freight unit or travelling for Trade, Industrial or Commercial purposes and has the ability to carry commercial goods, has a carrying capacity of over 1 tonne, or is greater than 5.4 metres in length and/or is greater than 2.5 metres in width, please call our TIPC Department on +61 8 8551 7234 Monday-Friday between 8.00 AM - 6.00 PM or Saturday-Sunday between 8.00 AM - 4.00 PM (ACST).

If you are booking with a hire car online, you can tick ‘This is a hire car’. You will also need to specify if your hire car will be an Electric (EV) or Hybrid vehicle. If you are unsure and tick 'no', please ensure you are not provided with an Electric or Hybrid vehicle at collection as we have limited capacity for these vehicle types on all sailings.

Please contact us on 13 13 01 at your earliest convenience when you have collected your vehicle to let us know what make and model you will be bringing on the ferry.

The driver is required to pay the applicable passenger fare available at that time.

Not on the same booking. You would need to make a separate booking for the person who wants to travel only one way.

Bus travel

Children aged 5–14 years can travel unaccompanied on the SeaLink Connection (between Adelaide / Cape Jervis) and SeaLink Shuttle (between Penneshaw / American River / Kingscote) provided an “Unaccompanied Minor Form” has been completed prior to travel by a parent/guardian. Download a copy of the Unaccompanied Minor Form here.

Please note, children less than 5 years of age are not permitted to travel unaccompanied.

Ferry travel

All children (0–11 years) MUST be accompanied by a parent or guardian when travelling with SeaLink SA and cannot travel “unaccompanied”. One adult can travel Free of Charge return on the ferry when accompanying a child (0-11 years of age). Children aged 12 – 14 years can travel unaccompanied on the ferry. In this case, an Unaccompanied Minor Form must be completed.

It is very rare for there to be no passenger spaces available; it is mostly the vehicle deck that can be booked out at times. We do not operate an automated waitlist system; however, you may change your booking to another sailing time if space becomes available, (change fees may be charged).

Please call our Sales Centre on 13 13 01, or you may be able to modify your booking online, space permitting.

If you wish to travel on a particular ferry departure that is currently fully booked, you may proceed to the ferry terminal prior to departure and list yourself with our check-in team, as a stand-by passenger/vehicle. You will be asked to then wait with your vehicle for further instructions. Listing however, will not guarantee travel, but we will always do our best to accommodate you.

Pets are welcome onboard and travel free of charge. Please advise our team member at the check-in desk that you are travelling with a pet.

Your pet may travel on our ferry by either:

• Remaining unaccompanied in your vehicle for the duration of the crossing; or
• On a secure lead or in an approved pet carrier on the top deck of the vessel (accessible by stairs only), which has indoor and outdoor seating areas.

Please keep this in mind when deciding to bring your pet with you.

Boarding with your pet

You will be asked to wait at a designated, sign posted area with your pet until directed by a crew member to board the ferry via the car loading ramp. One person is to be in charge of taking pets on to the ferry and must be aged 16 years or older. Once onboard, take the rear stairs to the top deck of the vessel. If your pet is unable to climb stairs, it will be required to remain in your vehicle unaccompanied.

Disembarking with your pet

At the conclusion of the crossing, please make your way down the rear stairs and await the crews’ direction to disembark the vessel. It is essential for safety reasons that you wait to be directed by our crew.

Restricted areas

Pets are not permitted inside the ferry terminals and on the ferry’s main deck, due to café operations. This policy aligns with the Food Safety Practices outlined by Safe Food Australia, which is essential for maintaining high standards of food safety and hygiene. Consequently, pets cannot board the ferry through the passenger ramp accessible from the ferry terminal. However, we acknowledge the importance of assistance animals. Guide dogs, hearing dogs, assistance dogs, and service dogs, including those in training, are permitted throughout the terminals and vessels.

Pets on Kangaroo Island

It is important to notify the Kangaroo Island Council prior to your visit on 08 8553 4500 or via email [email protected] and provide the following details – your full name, contact number while visiting, breed of cat(s), council registration details (Council name, current registration tag number and microchip number) and duration of your stay.

Pets are not permitted at Seal Bay, Flinders Chase, or any National or Conservation Park on Kangaroo Island (including car parks). Useful contacts include KI Kennels Dog and Cat Boarding Facilities, 935 Hog Bay Road, Nepean Bay (08 8553 9032) and Kangaroo Island Veterinary Clinic, Playford Highway, Kingscote.

Cats on Kangaroo Island

Under new By-Laws, it is not necessary to notify the Council if you are bringing your dog, however, you must notify in case you are bringing your cat. The requirements for doing so are listed below:

• A person must not, in any circumstances, bring or cause, suffer or permit to be brought onto Kangaroo Island an un-spayed cat that is not registered as a breeding cat.
• You cannot bring a de-sexed cat that is not registered with the Council onto Kangaroo Island unless you have notified the Council, either before the cat is brought onto the Island or within 12 hours of the cat being brought onto the Island, that you are bringing your cat or intend to bring one. You will also need to notify the Council of the premises where the cat will be kept for the duration of stay on Kangaroo Island.

You can notify the Kangaroo Island Council via email [email protected] or call 08 8553 4500 prior to your visit.

Assistance animals

Assistance animals that fall within the definition of the Disability Discrimination Act 1992 (Cth) and assistance animals in training are permitted on the Vessel. SeaLink reserves the right to request proof that the animal is an assistance animal in the form of an identity card, a medical certificate, stating the handler’s necessity of the assistance animal, or a training certificate from a veterinarian or a recognised training organisation.

It is highly recommended that you pre-book your accommodation before arriving on Kangaroo Island. SeaLink offers a range of accommodation choices ranging from hotels/motels, bed & breakfasts, luxury retreats, cabins, apartments, holiday houses, and glamping. Explore our accommodation range online.

Yes, follow below instructions to amend your booking online:

• Click on the ‘person’ icon on the top right hand corner of the home page of the website. These functions are available regardless of whether the booking was made online, over the phone or direct with our Sales Centre.
• When you click on the ‘person’ icon, choose Manage My Booking. You will then be required to input the email address that the booking was made under and the Booking Reference number.
• An email will be immediately sent to the email address you entered with a link to manage your booking. Click on the link and you will be taken to your booking where you can make changes.

You can manage your booking online and perform the following functions:

• View your itinerary and booking documents
• Pay any outstanding amount on your booking
• Amend your booking (where possible)

If you require the SeaLink Marine & Tourism to process a claim letter for your Travel Insurance Company, please fill our the Travel Insurance Form. This claim letter can be used for either a whole cancellation, part cancellation or where individual passengers have been cancelled from a booking.

Yes, complimentary Wi-Fi access is available on board our ferries and in our ferry terminals.

EFTPOS facilities for purchases are available on board our ferries and at our ferry terminal cafes. A minimum spend may be required (AUD $10). We do not offer ‘cash out’ facilities.

SeaLink offers the service of a 'luggage van' to load your luggage into. The van is parked alongside the Cape Jervis or Penneshaw Ferry Terminals, and you are responsible for placing and collecting your own luggage to/from the luggage van. No dangerous goods or freight items will be carried in the luggage van.

Our passenger boarding ramps have wheelchair access and there is also an access friendly restroom onboard each ferry. If you require wheelchair assistance, please make us aware when booking, or at check in, and we will be able to provide an electric wheelchair and crew assistance to help you board the ferry. For more information, please read our Mobility Assistance Guidelines.

Yes. When you arrive at the car loading bays, please park your car. If you have an Electric Vehicle (EV), please park in the EV lane as indicated by signage in the loading lanes. Either yourself or one of your passengers should proceed to the ferry terminal to check in. Here you will receive separate boarding passes for the driver/vehicle and each passenger. Only drivers are allowed to be in the vehicle at the time of loading and unloading. When it is time to board, the crew will instruct the driver and vehicle to proceed to the ferry ramp. Other passengers must board via the walk-on passenger gangway. If you do not feel comfortable driving your car onto the ferry vehicle deck or require assistance for yourself or your passengers with medical and mobility requirements, please notify sales staff at booking and upon check-in at the terminal.

Yes. Sealink have been actively working with the Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) to ensure our operating practices comply with safety obligations, this includes managing specific loading and transporting requirements for Electric and Hybrid Vehicles (EV's).

As per the recommendations in AMSA’s Safety Alert dated 26th October 2023, Sealink has assessed the risks associated with transporting electric and hybrid vehicles and taken steps to implement specific procedures in the prevention, detection and mitigation of fire incidents involving these vehicles.

You will need to inform SeaLink at the time of booking if you intend to travel in an Electric or Hybrid vehicle. For safety reasons, EV's are loaded in designated positions on the vessel and these spaces are limited. Delays to travel may occur if you have not informed us in advance that you are travelling with an EV.

Electronic devices like e-scooters, e-bikes and e-skateboards must be declared at check-in and have designated stowage onboard.

No. From 25 January 2024, we are enforcing a strict policy against occupants remaining in vehicles during crossings under any circumstance. If you feel you will need assistance boarding or remaining in the passenger lounge for yourself or people you are travelling with, please notify sales staff at booking and upon check-in at the terminal. Our team are able to assist passengers with medical and mobility issues. For your safety and the safety of all on board, it is vital that you adhere to crew instructions and travel in the allocated passenger areas/lounges of the ferry.

For the safety of both passengers and crew, drivers are unable to remain in their vehicles whilst the ferry is in transit.

During the South Australian COVID-19 lockdown periods, there was a temporary change to this requirement, that supported limiting the spread of COVID-19. With fewer vehicles on the ferry, it ensured all passengers could safely exit their vehicles if necessary. However, please be aware that this provision is no longer in effect, as the lockdown periods have ended, and vehicle capacity has returned to normal.

No. Passengers are unable to remain in their vehicles during crossings under any circumstance. There are processes in place to assist passengers to check on the welfare of their horses if required. Please notify sales staff at booking and upon check-in at the terminal if you will require assistance. Please note ships are inherently loud places and may cause distress to animals. Whilst we attempt to minimise noise such as car alarms, you may wish to take this into consideration prior to your travel.