The First Fleet class is a class of ferry operated by
Transdev Sydney Ferries on
Sydney Harbour.
History
In the early 1980s, the
Urban Transit Authority
The Urban Transit Authority, a former statutory authority of the Government of New South Wales, was responsible for the operation and maintenance of buses and ferries in Sydney and Newcastle from July 1980 until January 1989.
History
The Urban ...
ordered nine catamaran ferries from
Carrington Slipways
Forgacs Shipyard is a shipbuilding company located at Tomago, New South Wales on the Hunter River Hunter River may refer to:
*Hunter River (New South Wales), Australia
*Hunter River (Western Australia)
*Hunter River, New Zealand
*Hunter Rive ...
,
Tomago. They were to replace the ''
K-class'' and wooden ''Lady'' class ferries on
Sydney Harbour. The new vessels were named after ships of the
First Fleet and were delivered between 1984 and 1986. It was originally intended that they would operate services on the
Parramatta River
The Parramatta River is an intermediate tide-dominated, drowned valley estuary located in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. With an average depth of , the Parramatta River is the main tributary of Sydney Harbour, a branch of Port Jackson. S ...
, but they generated too much wash.
In 2006/07, the class were repowered with
MTU Series 60 engines. Today, all nine remain in service with
Transdev Sydney Ferries.
In 2020, the then 35-year old ferries underwent a major facelift to provide them with another 10 years of service. The work was undertaken at
Port Macquarie
Port Macquarie is a coastal town in the local government area of Port Macquarie-Hastings. It is located on the Mid North Coast of New South Wales, Australia, about north of Sydney, and south of Brisbane. The town is located on the Tasman Sea ...
. The changes included engines, refurbished interiors, the provision of air conditioning and additional safety features. The first vessel to be upgraded and returned to service was ''Golden Grove''.
Vessels
See also
*
List of Sydney Harbour ferries
Sydney Harbour's first ferries were sail and/or oar powered, but by the mid-19th century, paddle steamers were well established. Double-ended ferries became common as they did not require turning at terminating wharves in Sydney's busy but na ...
*
Timeline of Sydney Harbour ferries
Sydney Harbour ferry services date back to the first years of Sydney's European settlement. Slow and sporadic boats ran along the Parramatta River from Sydney to Parramatta and served the agricultural settlements in between. By the mid-1830s, s ...
References
External links
{{Sydneyferries, state=collapsed
Catamarans
Ferry transport in Sydney
Ships built in New South Wales
Ferry classes