The Swan River Ferry company (also traded as Swan River Ferries Ltd) was a major operator of ferry services on the Swan River in Perth, Western Australia from its establishment in 1897 to its end in 1949.
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1897 |
| Founder | Rowland Pennington Fred Bailey Herman Sutton John Olsen |
| Defunct | 1949 |
| Fate | Liquidated |
| Headquarters | South Perth, Western Australia |
Area served | Swan River, Western Australia |
Key people | Oscar Mouritz Olsen Nat Lappin |
| Services | River ferry services |
History
editThe company was founded in 1897 originally by Rowland Pennington and Fred Bailey as a public company named the River Ferry company, using the vessels Mary Queen and Gladys,[1] with services between Mends and Coode Street jetties, replacing an earlier irregular service managed by W. F. Tubbs, but the venture failed.[1] In 1904 however, a boat hire and manufacturing business, Sutton & Olson founded by shipwrights Harry Sutton (born as Claes Herman on 22 April 1867[2]), and John Olsen, both of Scandinavian heritage, took over the company with a consistent service created with the inaugural vessel Valkyrie.[1][2][3] Services expanded to Applecross, Canning Bridge, and Como.[4]
John Olsen drowned in March 1907. His death was treated as suspicious as it coincided with Olsen's purchase of the Westralia ferry and his brother's arrival in Perth.[3][5][6] After Olsen's death his son Oscar Mouritz Olsen became involved in the company,[3] before taking it over when Harry Sutton died on 27 June 1922.[2] That same year the company's yard burned down with several vessels lost including the 5.5-metre-long (18 ft) skiff Mele Bilo.[3] In 1935 the entire company and its assets were bought by Nat Lappin,[7] after Oscar Mouritz Olsen drowned that same year.[3][8][9] Lappin continued the ferry services until 1949 when increasing competition from public transport[10] forced the business into liquidation, with the route now operated by Transperth.[1]
During World War II two of the fleet's "Val-boat" ferries, including Valdura, were requisitioned for use as troopships in the Nile river, Egypt.[2][10]
Fleet
edit"Val-boat" ferries
edit| Image | Name | Builder | Built/launched | Length | Capacity | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Valkyrie | Sutton & Olsen | 1904 | 45 passengers | |||
| Valhalla | Sutton & Olsen | 1905 | 78 passengers | Capacity increased to carry 84 passengers. | ||
| Valdhana | Sutton & Olsen | 1905 | 12.19 metres | |||
| Valdemar | J. Asquith & S. Lawrence | 65 passengers | ||||
| Valdavia | J. Asquith & S. Lawrence | 76 passengers | ||||
| Valthora | Thomas Hill | 78 passengers | ||||
| Valthera | Sutton & Olsen | |||||
| Valhalb | Sutton & Olsen | |||||
| Valfrida | Thomas Hill | c. 1910 | 100 passengers | |||
| Valdura | Thomas Hill | 1912 | 13 metres | 76 passengers | Donated by the Swan River Trust to the Western Australian Maritime Museum in 1993. | |
| Valmeda | Frederick & Eric Carnaby, Nedlands | 1915 | 84 passengers | |||
| Valdana | Albert E. Lawrence (W. & S. Lawrence) | 1919 | 20.42 metres | 254 passengers | Double-decker ferry. First vessel to be built entirely of jarrah. | |
| Valkyrie II | Albert E. Lawrence (W. & S. Lawrence) | 24 September 1928 | 18.59 metres | 228 passengers | Designed by Thomas Hill. Double-decker ferry. |
References
edit- ^ a b c d "Coode Street Jetty". South Perth Local History. 15 April 2011. Retrieved 24 October 2024.
- ^ a b c d e Dickson, Rod. "They Kept this State Afloat: Shipbuilders, Boatbuilders and Shipwrights of WA 1829-1929, Report No. 89" (PDF). Western Australian Museum. pp. 13, 17, 36, 84, 112, 137, 167–168. Retrieved 24 October 2024.
- ^ a b c d e "Sutton and Olsen". Australian Register of Historic Vessels. Retrieved 24 October 2024.
- ^ a b "Register of Heritage Places - Assessment Documentation, Barrack Square". WA Department of Planning, Lands and Heritage. 15 October 1999. p. 9. Retrieved 24 October 2024.
- ^ "The Mysterious Disappearance: Olsen's Body Found Floating in River". The West Australian. 8 March 1907. p. 5. Retrieved 24 October 2024.
- ^ "John Olsen's Death: The Inquest". Kalgoorlie Miner. 13 March 1907. p. 5. Retrieved 24 October 2024.
- ^ "New Ferry Company Formed". The West Australian. 31 October 1935. p. 22. Retrieved 24 October 2024.
- ^ "Found Drowned in Swan". The Age. 30 August 1935. p. 13. Retrieved 24 October 2024.
- ^ "Owner of Swan Ferries Drowned". The Daily News. 29 August 1935. p. 1. Retrieved 24 October 2024.
- ^ a b "Basic Detail Report". Australian Register of Historic Vessels. Retrieved 24 October 2024.
- ^ "Valdura". Western Australian Museum. 2014. Retrieved 24 October 2024.
- ^ "THE LAWRENCE ESTATE" (PDF). Maritime Heritage Association of Australia Journal. 26 (1): 16. March 2015. Retrieved 24 October 2024.
- ^ "NEW FERRY LAUNCHED - Sister to 'Val' Boats". The Daily News. 24 September 1928. p. 7. Retrieved 24 October 2024.