Kelsian Group

In 1989, the business was founded with the purchase of the Kangaroo Island SeaLink business. In 2004, it purchased Subritzky Ferries in Auckland. This was sold in 2011.[1]

In 2011, the business of Captain Cook Cruises (including the previously taken over Matilda Cruises), Murray River Cruises and Sunferries Townsville was purchased.[1] The Townsville operation was rebranded Sealink.[2]

SeaLink has also diversified, purchasing specialist travel companies, managing the Adelaide Central bus station, operating the SkyLink Adelaide Airport Shuttle Service and a coach operation.[1][3] In September 2013, SeaLink commenced a ferry operation in Darwin.[4]

In October 2013, SeaLink was floated on the Australian Securities Exchange.[5]

In November 2015, SeaLink acquired Transit Systems marine operations, which includes:[6]

• Bay Islands Transit ferry operation in Brisbane,
• Gladstone Ferries,
• Stradbroke Ferries operation in Brisbane.

In February 2016, the Captain Cook Cruises Western Australia business was purchased.[7]

In October 2019, the company announced the acquisition of the remaining business of Transit Systems for $635 million.[8] As part of the transaction, Sealink's CEO, Jeff Ellison, stepped down, to be replaced by Transit Systems' CEO, Clint Feuerherdt, who took a 2.6% shareholding of the enlarged SeaLink.[9][10][11] Transit System's co-founder and chairman Neil Smith joined the SeaLink Board of Directors as a non-executive director and also took up 15.3% shareholding of the company.[12] The deal was completed in January 2020.[13]

On 4 November 2020, RiverCity Ferries took over the operation of Brisbane City Council's CityCat, CityHopper and Cross River Ferry networks from Transdev Brisbane Ferries.[14]

In September 2021, SeaLink Travel Group and the RATP Group announced that their respective London bus operations (including London United, London Sovereign and Tower Transit's Westbourne Park garage) would merge into a new joint venture called RATP Dev Transit London, with RATP Dev holding 87.5% and Tower Transit holding 12.5%.[15] The incorporation of the joint venture was finalised on 11 December 2021.[16] Tower Transit's Lea Interchange garage, located in East London, was not part of the joint venture and remained unaffected[15] until sold to Stagecoach London in June 2022.[17]

In November 2021, SeaLink Travel Group was rebranded Kelsian Group.[18] "Kelsian" is an anagram of "SeaLink".

In September 2022, the Kelsian Group acquired the operations of the HCT Group's Channel Islands-based LibertyBus and buses.gg operations, located on the islands of Jersey and Guernsey respectively.[19][20]