National Maritime Museum Grant To Finish Lady Denman Deck

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12th February 2010, 01:46pm - Views: 1581





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National Maritime Museum grant

to finish Lady Denman deck


They did not expect it to operate for more than 20 years, but the 1911-built Lady Denman ferry is

nearly ready for its 100th birthday. 

Using a $4745 grant from the Australian National Maritime Museum and some enthusiastic

volunteer labour, shipwrights have replaced the old deck of New Zealand Kauri with more durable

Oregon. 

The new deck will enable visitors to safely experience the vessel on board.  

Lady Denman has always been a vessel of the people,” said Museum Director at the Lady Denman

Heritage Complex Robyn Williams. “A major attraction of the new deck is that visitors can get the

feeling of being on a real ferry out at sea.”

The deck was one of the recommendations laid out in a 2006 conservation report funded by the

National Maritime Museum.

Lady Denman is one of the last surviving wooden double-ended ferries in Australia.

Built in Huskisson in 1911, it was intended that the vessel service the Lane Cove and Parramatta

river routes until the Sydney Harbour Bridge opened in the early 1930s.

However, it joined the Sydney Ferries fleet after the bridge opened and went onto service smaller

routes like Taronga Zoo until its retirement in 1979.

The vessel might have been lost to history entirely without the determination of a group of

Huskisson maritime enthusiasts who recognised its potential as a tourist attraction.

Their mission appeared challenged to say the least. They had no funding, no site and no

certification for the ferry. 

Their first attempt to tow the leaky vessel to Jervis Bay failed to get far beyond Sydney Heads. On

their second mission in 1981, they stole out of Sydney Harbour in the dead of night only to hit bad

weather at Jervis Bay. 

They reached the port of Huskisson with the assistance of a local Navy Frigate whose captain

reluctantly agreed to tow the vessel. “It was in a terrible state at the time,” explained Robyn

Wright. 

The vessel has since evolved into a major cultural complex in the region. 

Lady Denman Ferry has an intriguing history,” said Australian National Maritime Museum

Director, Mary Louise Williams. “We are pleased to be able to support its preservation through the

Maritime Museums of Australia Project Support Scheme (MMAPPS).” 

The MMAPPS scheme, which the museum funds with Australian Government’s Distributed

National Collection Program, helps regional museums, community groups and volunteers to

promote and protect Australian maritime heritage. For more information, phone (02) 9298 3777 or



12 February 2010

People Feature Australian National Maritime Museum 3 image

People Feature Australian National Maritime Museum 4 image




Australian National Maritime Museum - Bill Richards (02) 9298 3645; 0418 403 472

Images and interviews are available upon request from brichards@anmm.gov.au








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