The Mortlake Ferry
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ÒNurungiÓRemembered OFFICIAL NEWSLETTER OF THE CONCORD HERITAGE SOCIETY email: [email protected] www.concordheritage.asn.au EDITOR No.110 May 2005 LOIS MICHEL 9744-8528 The Mortlake Ferry - Historical Notes PRESIDENT Happy 77th Birthday - 16th May TRISH HARRINGTON 9764-3296 The Mortlake Ferry is a vehicular cable ferry Putney ferry service on 16 May 1928. Ball PUBLIC RELATIONS that plies the Parramatta River at a cross- was the Secretary for Public Works in TRISH SKEHAN ing between Hilly Street in Mortlake and George Fuller’s coalition government 9743-4172 Pellisier Road in Putney. It is the last remain- (1922-25), and was also a minister in the ing vehicular ferry (or punt) operating on the Bavin Government at the time the ferry SECRETARY/TREASURER Parramatta River, and in Sydney more gen- service was instituted by the Department LOIS MICHEL erally. Other existing vehicular ferry services of Main Roads (DMR). 3 Flavelle Street close to the Sydney region include five on The ferry service was commenced to en- (P.O. Box 152) the Hawkesbury River at Wisemans Ferry, Concord 2137 able employees at the nearby Australian Sackville, Lower Portland, Webbs Creek and Gas Light Company (AGL) who lived in Phone: 9744-8528 Berowra Waters. Fax: 9744-7591 suburbs on the northern side of the river Ferries, both passenger and vehicular, were to reach their workplace. Pressure came * an essential link in the transport infrastruc- from the ‘Putney side’ for the institution of MEETINGS ture of Sydney throughout the nineteenth the service, and was primarily led by the and early twentieth centuries, as the city is Putney Progress Association. Otherwise, General Meetings built around the harbour and the network of gasworks employees on the northern 2nd Wednesday of month river systems that flow into it. Vehicular fer- banks of the Parramatta River ‘...were at 7:30 pm in the ries were particularly vital at tidal crossings, confronted by a round trip via the Concord Citizens’ Centre such as the point between Mortlake and 9 Wellbank Street, Concord Meadowbank-Rhodes punt or rowing them Putney, where the cost of the construction Phone: 8765-9155 selves across or again using the passen- of a bridge of sufficient design merit to make ger ferry but this would not always have Executive Meetings the crossing was prohibitive, in terms of fi- been at convenient times for the worker.’ 4th Wednesday of month nance and the availability of materials and (Information supplied by Concord Heritage Society Inc, at 7:45 pm in the manpower to build it. letter from G M Cashman to D Brown, Town Clerk, Concord Citizens’ Centre Concord Council, 24 February 1982). This ferry A number of vehicular ferries operated on would also have been a benefit for resi- Walker Estates Committee Sydney Harbour, the Georges River to the dents on the southern side of the river to 1st Wednesday of month south and Parramatta River to the west in access Ryde and other suburbs to the Concord Citizens’ Centre the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. north, and as such would have been a sup- Graham Packett, 9743-3007 Vehicular ferries were particularly important for linking North Sydney and the south side Other Committees of the harbour in this time. In c1842 the As arranged Sydney Ferry Company began the first ve- Watch the newsletter hicular ferry between these two points, which operated until 1932 at which time the 8th June: Jane Bennett, Painter of Museum Sydney Harbour Bridge was opened to traf- Architecture in Sydney Fred Stansfield, 9743-1866 fic. On the Parramatta River, a vehicular 13th July: Graeme Payne - Lane ferry service was first established in c1832 Cove Historical Society - “Austral- Archives/Local History between Bedlam and Abbotsford Points, Kate Skillman, 9706-7479 ian Commercial Plane Crashes” which was replaced by the first Gladesville 10th August: Annual General Meet- Bridge in 1881. In most instances, bridges Heritage ing and Election of Officers. Bob Jones, 8765-9347 have since replaced earlier vehicular ferries operating on Sydney Harbour, and the Par- 14th September: Andrew ramatta and Georges Rivers (OHM Consultants, Monoghan, The Costume House, Oral/Family History Gladesville - “Early Australian Lola Sharp, 8753-0659 1998, pp 8-11). The Mortlake Ferry is a highly significant remnant of this early and preva- Fashions in Museum Collections” * lent form of transport as it is the only remain- 12th October: Pam Liell, speaking CONCORD ing vehicular ferry in use on Sydney Harbour on her recently released book, HERITAGE MUSEUM and its tributaries. “Dressed in their Best: 100 Years 5 Wellbank Street The Mortlake Ferry, also known as the of Family Photos” Putney Punt, began operations in 1928 (OHM Open 2:00 - 4:00 pm 9th November: John Walmeant - Consultants, 1998, p 11). The Hon Robert Tho- on 1st and 3rd African Safari Photographs mas Ball officially opened the Mortlake Wednesdays & Saturdays plement to the nearby Ryde Bridge. (DMR), and latterly the RTA (since approach ramp to alight the ferry. Both Mortlake and Putney were 1989) operated Mortlake Ferry from The waiting room has containers named for towns on the Thames 1928 to 1992. Although the RTA contin- with life vests; River in England. The AGL estab- ues to maintain and repair the ferry, it * Davit supported dinghy; lished gasworks at Mortlake in has contracted out the ferry operations to a private operator since 1992. The * Anchors for emergency deploy- 1883 (moving form Darling Har- ment. bour). The suburb was subdivided ferry cables are replaced every 12-15 for sale the following year, and months, and the ferry is slipped every In operation the ferrymaster uses the would have provided housing for three years at the Mortlake Slipways. engine and brake to align the ferry as workers employed at the gasworks. The slipway is located to the south of the it approaches the ramp, and adjust Evidently a ferry service of some Mortlake approach ramp and is used for the ramps to suit the traffic load be- description was servicing the sub- the maintenance of RTA-owned ferries ing carried. On grounding, the flaps urb during in the 1880s (and pos- operating in the Sydney region (includ- slide up the ramp till the inertia of the sibly earlier), as a subdivision plan ing the Mortlake Ferry and the five ve- ferry is lost. The deckhand hooks a for Mortlake prepared in 1884 hicular ferries servicing the Hawkesbury chain from the ferry to a safety chain shows a ‘steamer wharf at the end River). on the ramp, opens the swing gates of Tennyson Road (then named The contract to operate the ferry is ten- and uses a remote control to raise a Burwood Road), a little to the south dered and awarded every three years. boom on the ferry approaches. Vehi- of the present ferry wharf (Pollen, Shad Wall held the contract from 1992 cles then exit the ferry to be replaced 1996, pp 179-180). until at least 1998. The current contrac- by vehicles travelling in the opposite tor is Maccas Ferries, who have had the direction. The docking procedure is Construction began on a bridge reversed for departure, and the between Ryde and Rhodes/Con- contract for seven years. In 1998, it was reported that the staff required for oper- ferrymaster sends a warning by radio cord in 1933, which was officially of intention to move, thus warning opened in 1935. However, workers ating the Mortlake Ferry included a ferry driver, a gatekeeper and a deckhand craft such as the Rivercats, which ply at AGL continued to use the this waterway. Mortlake Putney ferry service. The (OHM Consultants, 1998, pp 11-12). Mortlake Ferry service is still in op- At the time of inspection in August 2004, The operation of the ferry is under- eration, although the new bridge the ferry was crewed by two staff taken on contract to the RTA by threatened the viability of the serv- (ferrymaster and deckhand). Macca Ferries Pty Ltd. On the day of inspection, the two personnel on ice, and despite intermittent at- The suburbs of Mortlake and Putney are tempts by the DMR (and later the board reported experience on most of now largely populated by white-collar the RTA’s ferries in NSW. RTA) to remove it. That the service workers. As such, the ferry has become remains is a testament to the a commuter service for local residents The ferry approaches form an essen- strength of the local community, working in the city, as noted on a site tial part of the ferry infrastructure. On who have campaigned to keep it inspection in August 2004. This chang- the south side of Parramatta River the operational since this time (OHM Con- ing demographic is reflected by the re- road approach is in concrete of con- sultants, 1998, pp 11-12). stricted operating times for the ferry, siderable age. Likewise the ramp is By 1948, the Mortlake Ferry ac- which is in service Mondays to Fridays concreted, with insert steel rails. Be- commodated an average of 811 6.20am-9.25am and 2.20pm-5.25pm. tween the ramp and concrete road cars each day. More recently the The large apartment construction pro- there is a bitumen section of recent numbers of cars travelling on the gram under way was cause for optimism reconstruction. Facilities on the shore ferry dropped to an average of 310 that patronage would increase. include a waiting room, a staff shed, vehicles per day in 1986 and 250 modem boom gate and old Description: per day in 1990 (OHM Consultants handraised half gates, which are no 1998, p 12). The ferry currently plying The ferry is a welded steel hull ferry longer in use.