''Surprise'' was the first
paddle steamer
A paddle steamer is a steamship or steamboat powered by a steam engine that drives paddle wheels to propel the craft through the water. In antiquity, paddle wheelers followed the development of poles, oars and sails, where the first uses we ...
, and the first steam powered vessel, built and run in
Australia. It was built possibly 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 ...
, by shipbuilder Henry Gilbert,
and launched in
Sydney on 14 March 1831. The vessel was 24 metres long with a draught of 0.6 metres.
Its first voyage was on 1 June 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 ...
under the command of Captain Devlin during which the vessel reached 3 knots. Soon her crew were able to increase this speed to 5 knots.
The first steamer to operate in Australian waters was ''
Sophia Jane
''Sophia Jane'' was the first paddle steamer to operate in the coastal waters of New South Wales (NSW). She was launched on the Thames in 1826 and arrived in Sydney in May 1831.
Construction
''Sophia Jane'' was an auxiliary steamer, like all ...
'', built in England which arrived in 1831. It was having its paddles fitted when ''Surprise'' made its first voyage.
On 30 May, advertised a service to Parramatta. At that time ferry services were not advertised in Sydney. ''Sophia Jane'' advertised the first cruise on 13 June. From 8 August, ''Surprise'' published a timetable in the ''Sydney Herald''.
''Surprise'' was built to operate on the Parramatta River. Fares were two shillings and sixpence for first class and two shillings for second class, and on weekends she was used for excursion trips.
''Surprise'' was not a financial success and after six months her owners, the Smith Brothers, sold her to Tasmanian interests. With both ''Surprise'' and ''Sophia Jane'' removed from the Parramatta River service, passengers returned to watermen's boats. Newer steamers, such as ''Experiment'', ''Australia'', and ''Rapid'' were put onto the Parramatta River service later in the 1830s with various degrees of success.
''Surprise's'' fate is not known.
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
{{Sydneyferries, state=expanded
Paddle steamers of Australia
Ships built in New South Wales
1788–1850 ships of Australia
1831 ships
Ferries of Tasmania
Ferry transport in Sydney