The Sydney Harbour Transport Board was a statutory of the Government of New South Wales responsible for the provision of ferry services on Sydney Harbour from July 1951 until November 1974.

History

With its Sydney Harbour services having become unprofitable, in March 1951

Sydney Ferries Limited Sydney Ferries Limited operated ferry services on Sydney Harbour from 1900 until June 1951. The company grew out of the North Shore Steam Ferry Company and took over smaller ferry operators to become the largest ferry operator in Sydney's his ...

advised the Government of New South Wales of its intention to cease operating ferry services on Sydney Harbour.Fifty Years of Sydney Public Ferries
''Afloat Magazine'' May 2009 After investigating the possibility of using statutory powers to compulsorily acquire the business without paying compensation, the government agreed to purchase the business with 15 ferries from 1 July 1951. Pursuant to the , the Sydney Harbour Transport Board (SHTB) was established. As the board did not have any experience of ferry management, day-to-day running was contracted out to the

Port Jackson & Manly Steamship Company The Port Jackson and Manly Steamship Company (PJ&MSC) was a publicly listed company that operated the Manly ferries in Sydney, Australia. After being taken over by Brambles Industries, the ferry service was eventually taken over by the Stat ...

. In 1956, the ''

Kooleen The MV ''Kooleen'' was a ferry operated by the Sydney Harbour Transport Board and its successors on Sydney Harbour. History When the Sydney Harbour Transport Board took over the Sydney Ferries Limited business in July 1951, it inherited an old ...

'' was purchased. This single deck ferry which the SHTB intended would be the first of many had no outside seating and was much derided. As a result, it was decided to retain the existing fleet, albeit with the remaining steam powered examples converted to diesel power. Between 1968 and 1970, three

Lady class ferries The Lady class is a class of ferry that were operated by Harbour City Ferries and its predecessors on Sydney Harbour. The term 'Lady class' was also used to describe four wooden-hulled double-ended ferries that were operated on Sydney Harbour, ...

were purchased. Pursuant to the , the functions of the SHTB were transferred to the

Public Transport Commission The Public Transport Commission (PTC) was an agency of the Government of New South Wales responsible for the provision of rail, bus and ferry services in New South Wales, Australia from October 1972 until June 1980. Upon dissolution, respo ...

on 1 December 1974.Public Transport Commission of New South Wales
NSW State Records

References

{{Sydneyferries, state=collapsed Ferry companies of New South Wales Ferry transport in Sydney Defunct government entities of New South Wales 1951 establishments in Australia 1974 disestablishments in Australia Sydney Harbour Defunct transport organisations based in Australia

History

See also

References