''Narrabeen'' was a paddle steamer
ferry
A ferry is a boat or ship that transports passengers, and occasionally vehicles and cargo, across a body of water. A small passenger ferry with multiple stops, like those in Venice, Italy, is sometimes referred to as a water taxi or water bus ...
on
Sydney Harbour
Port Jackson, commonly known as Sydney Harbour, is a ria, natural harbour on the east coast of Australia, around which Sydney was built. It consists of the waters of Sydney Harbour, Middle Harbour, North Harbour and the Lane Cove River, Lane ...
that ran on the
Circular Quay
Circular Quay is a harbour, former working port and now international passenger shipping terminal, public piazza and tourism precinct, heritage area, and transport node located in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, on the northern edge of the ...
to
Manly route.
Name
She was named after the Sydney suburb of
Narrabeen
Narrabeen is a beachside suburb of northern Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, 23 kilometres northeast of the business district, shared by the local government area of Northern Beaches Council and the Northern Beaches region. The bay wa ...
, 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 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 the franchisee Transdev Sydney Ferri ...
, 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.
Histor ...
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.
See also
*
List of Sydney Harbour ferries
Sydney Harbour's first ferry, 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 bu ...
References
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External links
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{{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