Cronulla and National Park Ferry Cruises is a ferry operator on

Port Hacking Port Hacking Estuary ( Aboriginal Tharawal language: ''Deeban''), an open youthful tide dominated, drowned valley estuary, is located in southern Sydney, New South Wales, Australia approximately south of Sydney central business district. Port ...

Southern Sydney Southern Sydney is the southern metropolitan area of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Southern Sydney includes the suburbs in the local government areas of Georges River Council and part of Bayside Council (collectively known ...

Australia. It operates a scheduled service from

Cronulla Cronulla is a suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Boasting numerous surf beaches and swimming spots, the suburb attracts both tourists and Greater Sydney residents. Cronulla is located 26 kilometres south of the Sydney ...

to Bundeena at the northern end of

Royal National Park The Royal National Park is a protected national park that is located in Sutherland Shire in the Australian state of New South Wales, just south of Sydney. The national park is about south of the Sydney central business district near the local ...

making the ferry service popular with bushwalkers as well as local residents. The company also operates scenic cruises around Port Hacking. The Cronulla to Bundeena service commenced operating in 1915 when Captain R Ryall commenced operating the service. The business was purchased by HC Mallam in the late 1940s who sold it to Jack Gowland in the late 1960s. It has since been sold a number of times and is now owned by Carl Rogan.

Fleet

Cronulla and National Park Ferry Cruises operate four vessels:Our Vessels
Cronulla and National Park Ferry Cruises *''Curranulla'', named after the rowboat used by

George Bass George Bass (; 30 January 1771 – after 5 February 1803) was a British naval surgeon and explorer of Australia. Early years Bass was born on 30 January 1771 at Aswarby, a hamlet near Sleaford, Lincolnshire, the son of a tenant farmer, George ...

and

Matthew Flinders Captain Matthew Flinders (16 March 1774 – 19 July 1814) was a British navigator and cartographer who led the first inshore circumnavigation of mainland Australia, then called New Holland. He is also credited as being the first person to u ...

to explore

. The 53 foot ferry was built by

Morrison & Sinclair Morrison & Sinclair was a Sydney, New South Wales based company and one of the great ship and boat-building names of Port Jackson. The company was founded in the early 1890s and ceased trading in 1970. History In 1923, Morrison & Sinclair Ltd ...

, Balmain entering service on 12 May 1939, Originally powered by a 3-cylinder K3 12 litre 66HP hand start

Kelvin The kelvin, symbol K, is the primary unit of temperature in the International System of Units (SI), used alongside its prefixed forms and the degree Celsius. It is named after the Belfast-born and University of Glasgow-based engineer and phys ...

diesel, replaced in 1986 by a 5LW Gardner. ''Curranulla'' is the oldest commuter ferry still operating in Australia. *''Tom Thumb III'' built in 1946 in Forster by Alf Jahnsan as the ''Alma G'' powered with a 4LW Gardner engine. Purchased in 1952 by Cliff Mallam and moved to Cronulla where she had her engine converted to a 2-cylinder K2 Kelvin 8 litre 44HP hand-start Diesel engine. Renamed '' Gymea'' before becoming the ''Tom Thumb III'' in 1982 when repowered with a 5LW Gardner engine. *''Gunnamatta'', named after

Gunnamatta Bay The Gunnamatta Bay is a small bay in southern Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Gunnamatta Bay is located off the Port Hacking estuary, in the Sutherland Shire. The foreshore is a natural boundary for the suburbs of Cronulla to the east, Woo ...

, was built in 1989 by Broadwater Craft,

Nerang Nerang is a town and suburb in the City of Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia. In the , Nerang had a population of 16,864 people. Geography The Nerang River flows through the locality from south to east, passing through the town. The river ult ...

as a catamaran to operate cruises *''Port Hacking Explorer II'' is a cruise vessel

References

External links

Company website
{{Sydney public transport, state=collapsed Cronulla, New South Wales Ferry companies of New South Wales Ferry transport in Sydney Transport companies established in 1915 1915 establishments in Australia