It is adjacent to Circular Quay railway station, which serves as an interchange for Sydney Trains services.

The Circular Quay ferry wharf complex consists of five double-sided wharves at 90 degrees to the shoreline, numbered 2 to 6.

When the Port Jackson & Manly Steamship Company introduced hydrofoils to the Manly service in the mid-1960s, a pontoon was attached to the eastern side of wharf 2 to allow the hydrofoils to berth without their foils fouling the wharf.

When the Freshwater class ferries were introduced in the 1980s, the wharf was rebuilt to accommodate their onboard gangways.

The Circular Quay ferry wharf complex is adjacent to an elevated railway station of the same name.