The First Fleet class is a class of ferry operated by

Transdev Sydney Ferries Transdev Sydney Ferries, formerly Harbour City Ferries, is a subsidiary of Transdev Australasia, and is the operator of ferry services in the Sydney Ferries network since July 2012. It currently operates the ferry network under a contract unt ...

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 ...

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,

Tomago Tomago is a combined industrial/semi-rural suburb of the Port Stephens local government area in the Hunter Region of New South Wales, Australia. It is located just north of the Hunter River and west of the body of water known as Fullerton Cove ...

. They were to replace the '' K-class'' and wooden ''Lady'' class ferries on

. The new vessels were named after ships of the

First Fleet The First Fleet was a fleet of 11 ships that brought the first European and African settlers to Australia. It was made up of two Royal Navy vessels, three store ships and six convict transports. On 13 May 1787 the fleet under the command ...

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. Seco ...

, 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

. 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 co ...

. 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

References

External links

{{Sydneyferries, state=collapsed Catamarans Ferry transport in Sydney Ships built in New South Wales Ferry classes

History

Vessels

See also

References

External links