Searoad Ferries Is Giving Away More Than 30,000 Free Tickets for Day Trips to Queenscliff and Sorrento

To the delight of metropolitan Melbourne residents, the city's curfew, 25-kilometre rule and four permissible reasons to leave home have all been scrapped. So too has the 'ring of steel' separating Melbourne from regional parts of the state. As a result, you're probably hankering not only to get out of the house as often as possible, but to head as far away from your local neighbourhood as you can — on a seaside day trip, perhaps?

If you'd like to visit either Queenscliff or Sorrento, Searoad Ferries will take you there — and, as part of a $1 million ticket giveaway, it'll take you for free. The transportation company is offering 38,484 tickets in total, all for day trips between November 23, 2020–July 31, 2021. And while there's a limit of one return ticket per person, you and all of your mates can grab one each.

To nab a free ticket, you'll need to head to Searoad Ferries' free ticket website between Wednesday, November 18 and 5pm on Sunday, November 22 to register. Although you can book in your trip across an eight-month period, there are only limited tickets available for each day — and, obviously, you can expect plenty of other Melburnians to be jumping on the deal.

There are caveats, of course. The freebies only apply to foot passenger tickets (not cars), you have to both travel there and return back on the same day — and on your selected date — and you can't change or transfer your ticket once it has been booked. But, you can upgrade it to a vehicle passenger ticket if you purchase a car and driver ticket.

And, if you're currently wondering why Searoad Ferries is giving away such a hefty amount of tickets, the answer is as simple as you think it is. "We are a family-owned business, and we know how hard it has been for Victorians," said CEO Matt McDonald. "A free ticket, the beauty of the bay and some fresh air is something we would love Victorians to experience... we want them to remember how beautiful our state really is."

Mark Chew, Visit Victoria

To register for a free ferry ticket, visit www.freeferrytickets.com.au from Wednesday, November 18 until 5pm on Sunday, November 22. One free ticket is available per person, to travel between November 23, 2020–July 31, 2021.

Top image: Visit Victoria.