''Surprise'' was the first
paddle steamer
A paddle steamer is a steamship or steamboat powered by a steam engine driving paddle wheels to propel the craft through the water. In antiquity, paddle wheelers followed the development of poles, oars and sails, whereby the first uses were wh ...
, and the first steam powered vessel, built and run in
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...
. It was built possibly on the
Parramatta River
The Parramatta River is an intermediate tide-dominated, Ria, drowned valley estuary located in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. With an average Altitude, height, and depth, depth of , the Parramatta River is the main tributary of Sydney Harbour ...
, by shipbuilder Henry Gilbert,
and launched in
Sydney
Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...
on 14 March 1831. The vessel was 24 metres long with a draught of 0.6 metres.
Its first voyage was on 1 June on the
Parramatta River
The Parramatta River is an intermediate tide-dominated, Ria, drowned valley estuary located in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. With an average Altitude, height, and depth, depth of , the Parramatta River is the main tributary of Sydney Harbour ...
under the command of Captain Devlin during which the vessel reached 3 knots. Soon her crew were able to increase this speed to 5 knots.
The first steamer to operate in Australian waters was ''
Sophia Jane'', built in England which arrived in 1831. It was having its paddles fitted when ''Surprise'' made its first voyage.
On 30 May, advertised a service to Parramatta. At that time ferry services were not advertised in Sydney. ''Sophia Jane'' advertised the first cruise on 13 June. From 8 August, ''Surprise'' published a timetable in the ''Sydney Herald''.
''Surprise'' was built to operate on the Parramatta River. Fares were two shillings and sixpence for first class and two shillings for second class, and on weekends she was used for excursion trips.
''Surprise'' was not a financial success and after six months her owners, the Smith Brothers, sold her to Tasmanian interests. With both ''Surprise'' and ''Sophia Jane'' removed from the Parramatta River service, passengers returned to watermen's boats. Newer steamers, such as ''Experiment'', ''Australia'', and ''Rapid'' were put onto the Parramatta River service later in the 1830s with various degrees of success.
''Surprise's'' fate is not known.
See also
*
List of Sydney Harbour ferries
Sydney Harbour's first ferry, ferries were sail and/or oar powered, but by the mid-19th century, paddle steamers were well established. Double-ended ferries became common as they did not require turning at terminating wharves in Sydney's busy bu ...
*
Timeline of Sydney Harbour ferries
Sydney Harbour ferry services date back to the first years of Sydney's European settlement. Slow and sporadic boats ran along the Parramatta River from Sydney to Parramatta and served the agricultural settlements in between. By the mid-1830s, s ...
References
{{Sydneyferries, state=expanded
Paddle steamers of Australia
Ships built in New South Wales
1788–1850 ships of Australia
1831 ships
Ferries of Tasmania
Ferry transport in Sydney