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The Bruny Island Ferry links Bruny Island to the Tasmanian mainland. Once operated by North Western Shipping and Towage Co. Pty Ltd and owned by the Tasmanian Government, the ferry Mirambeena travels between Kettering on the Tasmanian mainland and Roberts Point on Bruny Island, the service is now run by Sealink. The service is subsidised by the Tasmanian Government.
| Name | Year Built | Builder | Initial Ownership | Current Ownership / Fate | Max. Passengers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SS Lottah | 1901 | Wilson, John | Unknown | ||
| SS Ronnie | 1903 | Unknown | |||
| SS Dover | Unknown | ||||
| ML Taruna | c.1910 | McKay, Charles Harold | Unknown | ||
| ML Gayclite | c.1943 | Unknown | |||
| SS Breone | c.1910 | Moore, Frederick | Unknown | ||
| SS Excella | 1912 | Mr John Dalgleish | James Rowe & Sons Pty. Ltd | Unknown | |
| SS Beagle | Unknown | 6 Vehicles |
Roll on Roll off ferries have operated on the route since 1954:
The SS Melba was built in 1921 as a cargo steamer to operate on the River Derwent. She commenced operations as a single-deck vehicular ferry on the Bruny Island run on December 13, 1954, [1] with a capacity of 22 cars. [2] She was the primary Bruny Island ferry until the arrival of the Mangana in 1961. After that date, she continued on the Bruny Island run, assisting during peak periods and when the Mangana was under repair.
In 1975, the Tasman Bridge disaster created an urgent short-term need for ferries operating across the River Derwent. The Melba, despite frequent strandings due to her deep draft, operated between Hobart and Bellerive.
The Mangana, originally known as the George Peat, was one of two 42.06 metre-long single-deck ferries built in 1930 to operate a service across the Hawkesbury River. [3]
After a stint operating on Auckland Harbour, the 42.06 metre long ship (now known as the Ewan W. Alison) was purchased by the Tasmanian Government in 1959. Although both the Ewan W. Alison and its sister ship the Alexander Alison were purchased from their New Zealand operators for use on the Bruny Island run, the Alexander Alison sunk on April 30, 1960 while being towed across the Tasman Sea. Seven months later, the Mangana was successfully towed across the Tasman, and commenced operations on the Bruny Island run on March 27, 1961. The Mangana was named for a Chief of the Bruny Island people, whose daughter Truganini is generally considered to have been the last full-blooded Tasmanian Aborigine.
The Melba stayed on to fill the gap left by the loss of the Mangana's sister ship.
The Mangana, with a capacity of 37 cars, [2] was the primary Bruny Island ferry until the early 1980s, staying on as a reserve ferry for the Harry O'May until 1991.
Formerly the Hong Kong ferry Man On, the Harry O'May operated the Bruny Island route in the 1980s and 90's. Its two decks greatly increased carrying capacity relative to the smaller earlier ferries.
Prior to 1983, the Bruny Island end of the ferry service terminated at Barnes Bay. The trip from Kettering to Barnes Bay took around 35 minutes. The change of route to terminate at Roberts Point meant that the one-way trip time was reduced to 12 minutes. [2]
The Mirambeena began operation on the Bruny Island run in the early 1990s. Completed in 1991, it is a 52-metre two-deck ferry equipped with a Voith-Schneider propulsion system. [3]
| Name | Year Built | Builder | Initial Ownership | Current Ownership / Fate | Max. Passengers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SS Melba | 1921 | Wilson Bros | Unknown | 22 Vehicles | |
| SS Mangana previously George Peat | 1930 | Tasmanian Steam Navigation Company | Unknown | 37 Vehicles | |
| MV Harry O May previously Man On | c.1975 | Hong Kong | Launceston, Tas | 48 Vehicles | |
| MV Mirambeena | 1991 | SeaLink Travel Group | 74 Vehicles | ||
| MV Bowen | Backspring Pty Ltd | SeaLink Travel Group | 30 Vehicles | ||
| MV Moongalba | 1974 | Stradbroke Ferries | SeaLink Travel Group | 30 Vehicles | |
| MV Nairana (MV Bruny Island Ferry#1) | 2019 | Richardson Devine Marine | SeaLink Travel Group | SeaLink Travel Group | 36 Vehicles |
| MV Bruny Island Ferry#2 | 2019 | Richardson Devine Marine | SeaLink Travel Group | SeaLink Travel Group | 36 Vehicles |
Hobart is the capital and most populous city of the Australian island state of Tasmania. Home to almost half of all Tasmanians, it is the least-populated Australian state capital city, and second-smallest if territories are taken into account, after Darwin, Northern Territory. Hobart is located in Tasmania's south-east on the estuary of the River Derwent, making it the most southern of Australia's capital cities. Its skyline is dominated by the 1,271-metre (4,170 ft) kunanyi/Mount Wellington, and its harbour forms the second-deepest natural port in the world, with much of the city's waterfront consisting of reclaimed land. The metropolitan area is often referred to as Greater Hobart, to differentiate it from the City of Hobart, one of the five local government areas that cover the city. It has a mild maritime climate.
Bass Strait is a strait separating the island of Tasmania from the Australian mainland, and also providing the most direct waterway between the Great Australian Bight and the Tasman Sea. Formed 8,000 years ago by rising sea levels, the strait was named after English explorer and physician George Bass.
The River Derwent is a river located in Tasmania, Australia. It is also known by the palawa kani name timtumili minanya. The river rises in the state's Central Highlands at Lake St Clair, and descends more than 700 metres (2,300 ft) over a distance of more than 200 kilometres (120 mi), flowing through Hobart, the state's capital city, before emptying into Storm Bay and flowing into the Tasman Sea. The banks of the Derwent were once covered by forests and occupied by Aboriginal Tasmanians. European settlers farmed the area and during the 20th century many dams were built on its tributaries for the generation of hydro-electricity.
The Tasman Bridge is a bridge that carries the Tasman Highway over the Derwent River in Hobart, Tasmania, Australia. Including approaches, the bridge has a total length of 1,396 metres (4,580 ft) and it provides the main traffic route from the Hobart city centre to the eastern shore. The bridge has a separated pedestrian footway on each side. There is no dedicated lane for bicycles; however, steps to the pedestrian footway were replaced with ramps in 2010.
The history of Tasmania begins at the end of the most recent ice age when it is believed that the island was joined to the Australian mainland. Little is known of the human history of the island until the British colonisation in the 19th century.
Bruny Island is a 362-square-kilometre (140 sq mi) island located off the south-eastern coast of Tasmania, Australia. The island is separated from the Tasmanian mainland by the D'Entrecasteaux Channel, and its east coast lies within the Tasman Sea. Storm Bay is located to the island's northeast. Both the island and the channel are named after French explorer Bruni d'Entrecasteaux. Its traditional Aboriginal name is lunawanna-allonah, which survives as the name of two island settlements, Alonnah and Lunawanna.
Kingborough Council is a local government body in Tasmania, and one of the five municipalities that constitutes the Greater Hobart Area. Kingborough is classified as an urban local government area and has a population of 37,734, it covers the transition from the southern urban areas of Hobart through Kingston, as well as encompassing Bruny Island.
MS Theofilos is a passenger/vehicle ferry built at the Nobiskrug shipyard in Rendsburg, Germany in 1975.
The Tasman Bridge disaster occurred on the evening of 5 January 1975, in Hobart, the capital city of Australia's island state of Tasmania, when a bulk ore carrier travelling up the Derwent River collided with several pylons of the Tasman Bridge, causing a large section of the bridge deck to collapse onto the ship and into the river below. Twelve people were killed, including seven crew on board the ship, and the five occupants of four cars which fell 45 m (150 feet) after driving off the bridge. Hobart was cut off from its eastern suburbs, and the loss of the road connection had a major social impact. The ship’s master was officially penalised for inattention and failure to handle his vessel in a seamanlike manner.
The MV Cartela is an excursion vessel operating on the Derwent River in Hobart, Tasmania, Australia. She is now Australia's oldest continuously-licensed passenger vessel, although there are several older vessels still in service that have been restored after lengthy periods in dereliction.
TT-Line Company Pty. Ltd. T/A Spirit of Tasmania is a company which has been operating ferries from mainland Australia to Tasmania since July 1985. The company was separated from the Tasmanian Government's Department of Transport in 1993, becoming a government business enterprise wholly owned by the Government of Tasmania where it was then named Spirit of Tasmania in August 1993.
The D'Entrecasteaux Channel is a body of water located between Bruny Island and the south-east of the mainland of Tasmania, Australia. The channel is the mouth for the estuaries of the Derwent and the Huon Rivers and empties into the Tasman Sea of the South Pacific Ocean. It was sighted by Abel Tasman in 1642 and surveyed in 1792 by Bruni d'Entrecasteaux.
Ferries in Hobart do not provide a major alternative public transport service for commuters and tourists in Hobart and other localities in and around the Derwent River in Tasmania. Services at the present time focus only on tourism services. However, a year long trial of a ferry service between Bellerive and Brooke Street Pier will commence in August 2021.
Barnes Bay is a rural locality on Bruny Island in the local government area (LGA) of Kingborough in the Hobart LGA region of Tasmania. The locality is about 35 kilometres (22 mi) south of the town of Kingston. The 2016 census provides a population of 22 for the state suburb of Barnes Bay.
Dennes Point is a semi-rural locality in the local government area (LGA) of Kingborough in the Hobart LGA region of Tasmania. The locality is about 3 kilometres (1.9 mi) north-east of the town of Killora. The 2016 census has a population of 49 for the state suburb of Dennes Point. It is also a geographical feature and a small hamlet at the northern tip of Bruny Island.
Kettering is a coastal town on the D'Entrecasteaux Channel opposite Bruny Island, Tasmania, Australia. At the 2011 census, Kettering had a population of 984.
Bass Strait Ferries have been the ships that have been used for regular transport across Bass Strait between Tasmania and Victoria in mainland Australia, as well as the various attempts to link Tasmania with Sydney. Historically, some regular shipping services in the twentieth century linked Sydney, Melbourne and Hobart with the Bass Strait ports: Launceston's various port locations, Devonport and Burnie. The distinction between coastal shipping and Bass Strait ferry has been blurred at times.
Tasmanian Steam Navigation Company Limited was an Australian steaming company, formed in Hobart in 1853 and defunct in 1922 after a series of acquisitions. It operated a shipping service from Tasmania to the Australian Mainland, later expanded to New Zealand.
Hobart Historic Cruises operates cruises and charters on the Derwent River, Tasmania. These historic ferry tours have operated on the Derwent harbour since the 1980s.
Kosciusko was a "K-class" ferry on Sydney Harbour. Launched in 1911, the timber-hulled steamer was built for Sydney Ferries Limited during the boom in cross-harbour ferry travel prior to the opening of the Sydney Harbour Bridge.
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