Submitted by Bushland Maps, who say:

Ferries are a bit of a forgotten mode of transport in Melbourne. With no integration into the fare system or journey planners, and with overarching public transport body PTV only “overseeing” three of the routes (which doesn’t have any practical effect on the service), they are mostly either seen as a tourist attraction (which fairly some are) or not seen at all.

Since there is no official map or central source of information, I figured I’d make a map that acts as both. It takes design style inspiration from the current series of PTV network maps, and incorporates modal connection symbols from the previous generation of rail map, modified for better visual accessibility.

Given the sheer amount of variation in operating styles and frequencies, along with the fact many tourist-oriented services only operate certain days or seasons, I have included rough descriptions of service to help people plan their journeys at a glance, with links to ferry operator websites for bookings and further information.

I hope that this map will help raise awareness of our ferries and hopefully one day contribute to filling in the gaps of this rather sparse network! Looking forward to feedback to further improve and refine the map.

Transit Maps says:

I love maps that draw attention to lesser-known or used modes of transportation, and this a great example, packed full of useful information. Piggybacking off the familiar Public Transport Victoria (PTV) design style works well and lends some authenticity to the project.

I find the simple geometric shapes used for the informational icons to be reminiscent of nautical flags – and thus appropriate for a maritime map like this – though it does mean the reader always has to refer to the legend to understand that an orange square means a bus connection, for example. The alternative approach would be to use pictorial icons that depict what the icon represents – a bus, in this case. However, on a map like this that is filled with lots of detailed information and is meant to be studied carefully, I certainly don’t mind the approach that’s been taken.

A few minor points for potential improvement – first, I’d like it if the silhouette of the Melbourne inset matched the shape of the actual Melbourne-area map a bit more, as it seems to indicate a much larger area than what’s actually shown. Second, some thought into how the legend is organised: by service frequency? By operator? Alphabetically by route name? What’s going to help the reader find what they’re after the most? Having the very limited Melbourne Cup Carnival-only ferry listed above other services that run more frequently and are far more useful seems particularly strange to me. At the very least, I feel it should be grouped with its parent Williamstown ferry.

Our final word: A solid diagram showcasing ferry services in and around Melbourne, packed with useful information. Nice work!