Valdura

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Valdura
Valdura, Swan river ferry, displayed in WA Maritime Museum, January 2021.jpg
Valdura as displayed in the WA Maritime Museum in January 2021.
History
Civil Ensign of Australia.svg Australia
NameValdura
OperatorSwan River Ferries Company
Port of registry Fremantle
BuilderThomas Hill
In service1912
Out of service1967
RenamedPenguin
Identification Vessel No. HV000660
FatePreserved
General characteristics
Type Ferry
Length13 m (42.7 ft)
Propulsion19 hp Gardner engine
Capacity76 passengers

MV Valdura (later named Penguin) is a preserved small ferry used on the Swan river and in Fremantle Harbour between 1912 and 1967. It is the only surviving "Val-boat" class ferry, which were one of the main types of ferry used on the Swan river between 1904 and 1949 when ferry services were the primary mode of transport on the river.

History

Valdura was built in 1912 by Thomas Hill in Perth [1] [2] [3] for the Swan River Ferries company [4] founded by the Scandinavian immigrants Herman [5] "Harry" Sutton and Jack Olsen for use on the Swan river, [4] it was constructed with a jarrah frame, karri planking, and likely propelled at this time by a Union 15 horsepower 2-cylinder engine, as this was the engine installed on sister-ship Valkyrie, with a total capacity of 76 passengers. [1] [3] In the 1916 timetable Valdura operated a regular service with sister-ship Valdemar from South Perth to Coode Street jetty, [6] with men charged 21 shillings each quarter, and women charged 12 shillings and sixpence per quarter. [6] The company changed hands in 1935 with the fleet sold to Nat Lappin with ferry services continuing as well as for-hire services [1] operated by the Royal Ophir Pleasure Boat Company. [3] [7]

It was appropriated for use as a troopship in the Middle East during World War II, along with one other Val-boat. [3] [1]

After the war, Lappin sold the fleet in 1949 due to increasing competition from public transport, with Valdura being part of four Val-boats sold to the Fremantle Harbour Trust in 1953 for use to transport workers around Fremantle Harbour between North and South Wharves. [1] After the sale it was renamed Penguin and underwent a year-long overhaul with new superstructure, wheelhouse, and a 19-horsepower Gardner engine installed. [1] In 1967 it was replaced by a purpose-built vessel and was sold to a private owner. [1]

Valdura was used as a houseboat before being abandoned in the Swan river, becoming a danger to navigation, the Swan River Trust donating the stricken ship to the Western Australian Maritime Museum in 1993, [1] it's restoration was complete by 2001, [8] and Valdura is now displayed in the main maritime museum building at Elizabeth Quay. [4] Valdura Place in the City of Perth is named after the ferry. [2] [7]

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References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "Basic Detail Report". Australian Register of Historic Vessels. Retrieved 23 October 2024.
  2. 1 2 Day, John H. D. (15 October 2015). "Extract from Hansard: Elizabeth Quay - Street Names" (PDF). Parliament of Western Australia . p. 7490b. Retrieved 23 October 2024.
  3. 1 2 3 4 "That's 190 years of Ferry Good Service". Transperth . 1 March 2021. Retrieved 23 October 2024.
  4. 1 2 3 "Valdura". Western Australian Museum . 2014. Retrieved 23 October 2024.
  5. ↑ "Heritage Council of Western Australia, Register of Heritage Places - Assessment Documentation, Barrack Square". WA Department of Planning, Lands and Heritage. 15 October 1999. p. 6. Retrieved 23 October 2024.
  6. 1 2 "Local Heritage Inventory, Place Record Form, Place No: SPCnt 10 Coode Street Jetty" (PDF). City of South Perth . January 2003. pp. 3, 8. Retrieved 23 October 2024.
  7. 1 2 Parker, Gareth (15 October 2015). "Elizabeth's Quay's nod to river history". The West Australian . Retrieved 23 October 2024.
  8. ↑ "WAM Annual Report 2002-2003" (PDF). Western Australian Museum . 2003. p. 50. ISSN   2204-6127 . Retrieved 23 October 2024.
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