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Wharf Cartage

We oversee an extensive supplier network of transport companies with fleets of prime movers, trailers and side-loaders at your disposal to and from all major ports and air freight depots throughout Australia.

Our wharf cartage services cover cargo handling, port shipping, and container cartage operations, ensuring import delivery and export pickup are seamlessly managed across our network. We allocate vehicles based on thorough SOPs that consider your freight type, premises capabilities, location and delivery requirements.

Magellan does not operate its own fleet. We arrange the cartage leg through contracted carriers, matching the equipment to each container.

We offer a carbon offset freight service. Click here to find out more.

What wharf cartage is

Wharf cartage is the road transport leg that moves a shipping container between the wharf and its destination. On an import, that means collecting the container once it is available and delivering it to your premises, a depot or a container freight station. On an export, it means delivering your packed container to the terminal before the cut-off.

It is a short leg, but it is where delays and costs most often occur. Containers left inside the terminal past their free time attract demurrage; containers held at your premises attract detention.

We plan that leg against the vessel arrival, the sea freight schedule and the customs clearance, not after them.

Ports and coverage across Australia

Our supplier network reaches the major Australian container ports, including Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane and Auckland, where Magellan has offices, along with Fremantle (Perth) and Adelaide, which we also service.

Because the network is national, we can also arrange movements either side of the port: between capital cities, and staged deliveries into construction and infrastructure projects.

Container types and equipment

We arrange cartage for all container types, including 20ft, 40ft, high cube and refrigerated units, plus open top and flat rack equipment for out-of-gauge cargo.

Prime movers and standard trailers for terminal-to-door runs.
Side loaders, which set the container down at ground level without a forklift or crane on site.
Drop trailers, typically left with you to unload on your schedule.
Hand-load and unload delivery, with goods coming off the trailer piece by piece.

Services beyond the cartage leg

Most importers need more than a truck. We arrange container packing and unpacking, lift-offs, and storage and handling, so a container that cannot go straight to site still has somewhere to go.

The facilities we use are DAFF biosecurity and Customs-approved, with fumigation available where required. Where a container is unpacked at a container freight station, we arrange the local LCL transport that follows.

Deliveries can be scheduled same day, next day or overnight, with import and export paperwork handled alongside the movement.

What sets Magellan apart?

Wharf cartage, covering import and export container cartage.

Local LCL transport (after unpack).

All container types 20’, 40’, high cube and refrigerated.

Container packing and unpacking.

Hand-load/unload trailer delivery services.

Drop-trailer and side-loader delivery services.

Container lift-offs.

Container storage and handling.

DAFF biosecurity and Customs approved.

Fumigation facilities.

Same day, next day and overnight deliveries.

Project Loads

No cargo is too heavy or too big. We support all out-of-gauge cargo.

Roll-on / Roll-off (Ro/Ro), for large and heavy equipment.

Open top and flat rack containers.

Break-bulk and heavy lift cargo, where the piece is beyond conventional gear.

Where cartage forms part of a larger scope of works, it is managed by our full service project logistics team.

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How your business benefits

Your cargo stays under our control from origin to destination, ensuring safe, timely delivery through our wharf cartage network.
Complete, nationwide coverage means that no matter your location, you are connected to the major Australian ports.
Flexible delivery scheduling improves efficiency and supports better warehouse planning.
24-hour service ensures port pickups and container deliveries are handled within the terminal's free time, and exports are delivered before cut-off.
Complete visibility of cargo arrival, availability, planned and expected delivery dates, confirmed delivery dates and container returns via the MagTrack Portal, for better planning and inventory management.

Frequently asked questions

A wharf is the fixed structure at a port where a vessel berths so cargo can be loaded and discharged. In container shipping, it sits inside the wider terminal, which also holds the container stacks and the gates your carrier passes through.

Cartage services are the road transport of goods over a short distance, typically between a port, depot, warehouse and the delivery address. Cartage is generally measured in hours rather than days, so timing matters more than distance.

In shipping, “wharf” means both the physical berth and, loosely, the port end of a shipment. Terms such as wharf cartage and wharf pickup refer to where your container transfers between terminal and road.