''Narrabeen'' was a paddle steamer

ferry A ferry is a ship, watercraft or amphibious vehicle used to carry passengers, and sometimes vehicles and cargo, across a body of water. A passenger ferry with many stops, such as in Venice, Italy, is sometimes called a water bus or water taxi ...

Sydney Harbour Port Jackson, consisting of the waters of Sydney Harbour, Middle Harbour, North Harbour and the Lane Cove and Parramatta Rivers, is the ria or natural harbour of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. The harbour is an inlet of the Tasman Sea (p ...

that ran on the

Circular Quay Circular Quay is a harbour, former working port and now international passenger shipping port, public piazza and tourism precinct, heritage area, and transport node located in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia on the northern edge of the Syd ...

to Manly route.

Name

She was named after the Sydney suburb of

Narrabeen Narrabeen is a beachside suburb in northern Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Narrabeen is 23 kilometres north-east of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of Northern Beaches Council and is ...

, one of the first ferries to be named after localities on Sydney's northern beaches. This would become a naming tradition for Manly ferries that continued through to contemporary ferries. She was the first of three Manly ferries to be named ''Narrabeen''. The last Manly cargo vessel, ''Narrabeen'' (II), was built in 1921, sold in 1928 to the

Westernport Bay Shipping Company Western Port, (Boonwurrung: ''Warn Marin'') commonly but unofficially known as Western Port Bay, is a large tidal bay in southern Victoria, Australia, opening into Bass Strait. It is the second largest bay in the state. Geographically, it is d ...

and wrecked in 1958. ''Narrabeen'' (III) was commissioned in 1984 as the third of four

Freshwater-class ferries The ''Freshwater'' class is a class of ferry operating the Manly ferry service between Circular Quay and Manly on Sydney Harbour. The ferries are owned by the Government of New South Wales and operated by Transdev Sydney Ferries under the gove ...

, the four of which remain in service.

Design and construction

She was built in 1886 by

Mort's Dock and Engineering Mort's Dock is a former dry dock, slipway, and shipyard in Balmain, New South Wales, Australia. It was the first dry dock in Australia, opening for business in 1855 and closing more than a century later in 1959. The site is now parkland. His ...

for the

Port Jackson Steamship Company The Port Jackson and Manly Steamship Company (PJ&MSC) was a publicly listed company that operated the Manly ferries in Sydney, Australia. After being taken over by Brambles Industries, the ferry service was eventually taken over by the State G ...

. An iron-hulled vessel, ''Narrabeen'' was long, 239 tons (211 tons from 1911) and could carry up to 850 passengers. Her compound steam engines (supplied by Mort's Dock) could push her to .

Service history

Originally built with an open wheelhouse, it was later glassed in to offer more protection to the master and helmsman. Smaller and of lower passenger capacity than her contemporary (1883), she was used on off-peak services to Manly. With the introduction of the larger ''Bingarra'' class, she was modified in 1911 for use as a cargo ferry with derricks fitted at either end. She was hulked about 1917 and her fate after this is unknown. File:Sydney ferry NARRABEEN 1890s.jpg, A lightly loaded ''Narrabeen'', 1890s File:Passengers on-board the ferry Narrabeen, Australia.jpg, After her open wheelhouse was glazed in File:Sydney ferry NARRABEEN (I) as a cargo ferry.jpg, Following her 1911 conversion to a cargo ferry.

References

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External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Narrabeen (1886 ferry) Ferries of New South Wales Ferry transport in Sydney 1886 ships Sydney Harbour Water transport in New South Wales Ships of Australia

Name

Design and construction

Service history

See also

References

External links