Matilda Cruises operated commuter ferry and cruise services on

Port Jackson 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 ...

in Sydney, Australia.

History

Matilda Cruises was founded in 1981 by Tim and Jillian Lloyd, with the purchase of ''Matilda'', a 20-metre catamaran. She was joined by the 25 metre ''Matilda II'' in 1986, ''Matilda III'' in 1987 and ''Matilda IV'' in 1989. In the early 1990s, Matilda Cruises diversified into commuter ferries with the purchase of the

Lane Cove River The Lane Cove River, a northern tributary of the Parramatta River, is a tide-dominated, drowned valley estuary west of Sydney Harbour, located in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. The river is a tributary of the Parramatta River, winding thro ...

service from

Rosman Ferries Rosman Ferries operates ferry services on Sydney Harbour. History Rosman Ferries was founded by Charles Rosman in 1916, when he launched a ferry service between Balmain, North Sydney and Garden Island carrying dockyard workers to the Royal ...

. In 1997, three high speed, low wash catamaran ferries (dubbed "Rockets") were purchased for fast sightseeing cruises and commuter ferry services.Introducing Matilda Cruises
Matilda Cruises In 1997, Matilda Cruises was purchased by Amalgamated Holdings Limited (now

Event Hospitality and Entertainment EVT Limited (EVT), formerly Amalgamated Holdings Limited and then Event Hospitality and Entertainment, is an Australian company which operates cinemas, hotels and resorts in Australia, New Zealand and Germany. EVT owns the largest cinema chains ...

), who in 1998 also purchased Sail Venture Cruises, making Matilda the largest operator of charter vessels on Sydney Harbour. In November 2005, AHL sold Matilda Cruises to Captain Cook Cruises. The Matilda Cruises trading name continues to be used.

References

{{Sydney public transport, state=collapsed Ferry transport in Sydney Transport companies established in 1981 Ferry companies of New South Wales Australian companies established in 1981