Peninsula's Past: Grand old boats of the bay

Photos: Courtesy of the State Library of Queensland. Above SS Koopa arriving at Redcliffe Jetty. 

Compiled in partnership with History Redcliffe

From the 1870s to the last excursion trip of the SS Koopa in 1953, a long line of steamships, ferries and other watercraft made the journey to Redcliffe bringing visitors and serving as a vital transport link for locals.

In the beginning, roads were little more than dirt tracks and Moreton Bay was the ‘highway’ of choice, bustling with boats travelling from Brisbane to Redcliffe with goods and passengers on board.

The journey to Brisbane could take four hours by horse-drawn coach.

Demand was so great during holiday periods that companies were formed to buy and run ships especially for this route.

The first regular service to the Peninsula, then known as Humpybong, appears to have been established by William Pettigrew in 1867.

One of three vessels he built, the Tadorna Radjah, began a regular run from Caboolture to Brisbane, stopping at Pine River and Humpybong when needed. It did this until it was damaged in the Brisbane River floods in 1893.

The earliest advertised ‘excursion’ was in 1877 aboard steamship Fairy. One year later, excursion vessels included Arakoon, Balclutha, Boko, Francis Cadell, Heather Bell, Norseman, Sappho, Settler and Kate.

In 1880, Peninsula residents held public meetings which resulted in the formation of the Redcliffe and Sandgate Steam Ferry Company Ltd in 1882.

Its first locally manufactured and owned vessel was the Redcliffe, which was launched in 1883.

The company bought the Pearl, which was capable of carrying 120 passengers, in the same year. It ran between Sandgate and Woody Point.

At the same time, the Arakoon was charted by James Campbell to operate from Sandgate to Woody Point.

The two vessels ran frequently on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, but often broke down.

The Redcliffe and Sandgate Steam Ferry Company Ltd went into liquidation in 1884 and the Redcliffe and Pearl were sold.

The Brisbane River and Moreton Bay Steamship Co. Ltd was reformed in 1884, following public meetings, amid calls for a more suitable and robust boat. The company put the Garnet into service.

By 1890, three tug companies were competing for the Redcliffe run – Gibbs Bright & Co, James Campbell and Sons, and Webster & Co.

In 1891, the Humpybong Steamship Co Ltd was formed. It went into liquidation but reformed to buy the Emerald.

In 1903, tug companies joined forces to form the Brisbane Tug and Steamship Co, competing with the Humpybong company.

In 1912, Beryl was built for Humpybong Steamship Co, and two years later Emerald made her last trip on the bay.

One of the most well-known ships to service the Peninsula was the SS Koopa, which was built for Brisbane Tug and Steamship Co in 1911. She made her first trip to the Peninsula on Boxing Day that year, carrying more than 1000 passengers.

Her first trip to include Bribie Island was made on January 21, 1912.

In 1942, she was requisitioned for war service but was reconditioned and returned to the Redcliffe run in 1947.

She operated in Moreton Bay until 1953, after she was sold to Moreton Bay Development Co Pty Ltd the previous year.

Many other vessels stopped at Redcliffe Peninsula jetties over the years, with strong competition for market share.

As the road network improved and other transport options became available, the industry declined and the era of steamship travel in Moreton Bay came to an end.

“An excursion to Moreton Bay in a large and comfortable steamship is one of the most agreeable ways of spending a holiday,” The Brisbane Courier, March 30, 1880.

Source: Boats on the Bay (Patricia Gee/Moreton Bay Regional Council 2011)