The Kanangra

Kanangra is an iconic Sydney ferry, the last of the 'K' class ferries. The Sydney Heritage Fleet is committed to restoring her to her 1960s splendour with the aim of having her sail under the Harbour Bridge on the Bridge's centenary in 2032. That will be the 120th anniversary of  Kanangra's construction at the Woolwich yard.

Kanangra is being restored by dedicated volunteers at the Sydney Heritage Fleet's shipyard on Rozelle Bay. In keeping with restoration principles, the Kanangra Restoration Committee aims to restore her as faithfully as possible. Original materials are cleaned, repaired and reused to the greatest possible extent and our volunteers relearn traditional ship building techniques. 

At the same time, we need to ensure that Kanangra meets contemporary maritime standards so that she can return to survey and safely carry passengers again. 

To date the restoration plan has focussed on the timber superstructure. But, with Kanangra now  sitting elegantly on the Sea Heritage Dock, we can begin to restore the hull and engines.  

As restoration of the superstructure nears completion, our first priority is to remove  the polyurethante and concrete lining used to stabilise the hull. We will then seek funding to replace the steel framing and steel plates.

There's much to do and we welcome your assistance!

Sydney's iconic ferry Kanangra was built by Morts Dock at the Woolwich yard and plied the inner Harbour until her retirement in 1985. 

Kanangra was  one of five 1,000-passenger vessels built for Sydney Ferries Limited between 1910 and 1912 for the busy Cremorne and Mosman routes. The other four being near identical steel-hulled sister Kirawa and the three timber-hulled, but otherwise similar, Kirrule-type ferries, namely Kirrule (1910), Kiandra (1911), and Kubu (1912). All had timber decks and superstructures .

 Kanangra is 47.2 m in length and has a beam of 9.5 m. Her original triple expansion team engines had cylinders of 14, 22¼ and 37 inches in diameter respectively with a stroke of 21 inches. Steam was supplied by two large boilers fitted with corrugated furnaces and a working pressure of 180 lb. Among the auxiliaries were an independent centrifugal circulating pump, automatic feed pump and feed heater filter. The indicative horsepower was about 650.

Kanangra and Kirawa were primarily used on the Mosman and Cremorne services, the inner Harbour run which connected the ancestral lands of Gadigal and Cammmeraygal. 

Before the 1932 opening of the Sydney Harbour Bridge, Sydney Ferries Limited transported 40 million passengers a year. Both Kanangra and Kirawa were kept in service as patronage dropped to 15 million a year.

When the NSW State Government took over Sydney Ferries Limited in 1951, Kanangra was taken out of service for a major refit . She was returned to service in 1953 and  made her last trip as a steamer on the Circular Quay - Mosman - Cremorne run on 1 May 1959. She was converted to diesel power with a single direct coupled eight cylinder Crossley engine driving a fore and aft propeller, the last of the Sydney Harbour steam ferries to be converted to diesel. Her tall smoke stack was replaced with a smaller exhaust funnel, losing some of her distinctive appearance. 

Kanangra participated in the "Great Ferry Boat Race" during the early and mid 1980s coming second in the inaugural 1980 event. She retired in 1985 as one of the longest serving ferries on Sydney Harbour. 

She was donated to the Sydney Heritage Fleet in 1987.  In 2009, she was placed on the Australian Register of Historic Vessels. 

The Fleet is restoring Kanangra to her 1960s period retaining the diesel configuration. Great progress has been made on the imber superstructure and in April 2022 she was towed to the Captain Cook Graving Dock at Garden Island to be re-floated on the Fleet's Sea Heritage Dock. She returned to Rozelle Bay on 14 April 2022, KANANGRA DAY, to commence the next phase in her restoration by Sydney Heritage Fleet volunteers and staff.

Our maritime history lives on, and it’s yours to share!

The Sydney Heritage Fleet, the trading name of the Sydney Maritime Museum Ltd,  comprises 10 historical vessels which is among the largest such collection in Australia.

A community-based non-profit organisation, the Fleet’s mission is To be the museum that goes to sea. 

Sydney Heritage Fleet is a volunteer based not for profit organisation which aims to build and maintain an internationally recognised centre of excellence in maritime heritage for the social benefit of all Australians by presenting, through research, acquisition, restoration, education and operation, our continuing maritime history.

The Fleet has four goals: 

1: To continue to preserve, maintain, display and operate a collection of heritage vessels and maritime artefacts relevant to Australia’s maritime history.

2: To deliver programs and activities specifically designed to maximise social impact and targeting the people of Sydney and beyond.

3: To continue to build, develop and retain a skilled, productive and cohesive body of SHF volunteers, staff, members and supporters.

4: To operate a well-governed and financially viable museum as a social enterprise.

The Fleet is funded through donations, memberships & subscriptions and income from vessel hires (private hires and group bookings).

The Fleet’s 1200 strong membership and 450 dedicated volunteer workers restore, operate and maintain the fleet of vintage vessels. In the process we preserve traditional shipbuilding and related methods and skills.

Under restoration at the Rozelle Bay shipyard are the 1912 ferry Kanangra and the 1927 pilot vessel John Oxley.

For more information see  https://shfmember.org.au/explore-the-fleet/about-us/