MV ''Valdura'' (later named ''Penguin'') is a preserved small ferry used on the Swan river and in

Fremantle Harbour Fremantle Harbour is Western Australia's largest and busiest general cargo port and an important historical site. The inner harbour handles a large volume of sea containers, vehicle imports and livestock exports, cruise shipping and naval visits ...

between 1912 and 1967. It is the only surviving "Val-boat" class ferry, which were one of the main types of ferry used on the Swan river between 1904 and 1949 when ferry services were the primary mode of transport on the river.

History

''Valdura'' was built in 1912 by Thomas Hill in

Perth Perth () is the list of Australian capital cities, capital city of Western Australia. It is the list of cities in Australia by population, fourth-most-populous city in Australia, with a population of over 2.3 million within Greater Perth . The ...

for the

Swan River Ferry Company The Swan River Ferry Company (also traded as Swan River Ferries) was a major operator of ferry services on the Swan River in Perth, Western Australia from its establishment in 1897 to its end in 1949. History The company was founded in 1897 by ...

founded by the

Scandinavia Scandinavia is a subregion#Europe, subregion of northern Europe, with strong historical, cultural, and linguistic ties between its constituent peoples. ''Scandinavia'' most commonly refers to Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. It can sometimes also ...

n immigrants Herman "Harry" Sutton and Jack Olsen for use on the Swan river, it was constructed with a

jarrah ''Eucalyptus marginata'', commonly known as jarrah, in Noongar language and historically as Swan River mahogany, is a plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is a tree with rough, fibro ...

frame,

karri ''Eucalyptus diversicolor'', commonly known as karri, is a species of flowering plant in the family Myrtaceae and is Endemism, endemic to the Southwest Australia, south-west of Western Australia. It is a tall tree with smooth light grey to cre ...

planking, and likely propelled at this time by a Union 15

horsepower Horsepower (hp) is a unit of measurement of power, or the rate at which work is done, usually in reference to the output of engines or motors. There are many different standards and types of horsepower. Two common definitions used today are t ...

2-cylinder engine, as this was the engine installed on sister-ship ''Valkyrie'', with a total capacity of 76 passengers. In the 1916

timetable A schedule (, ) or a timetable, as a basic time-management tool, consists of a list of times at which possible tasks, events, or actions are intended to take place, or of a sequence of events in the chronological order in which such things ...

''Valdura'' operated a regular service with sister-ship ''Valdemar'' from South Perth to

Coode Street Jetty Coode Street Jetty is located in South Perth in Western Australia. The jetty is on the southern shore of the Swan River in the section known as Perth Water. History An earlier jetty existed, also with an adjacent pool, before the construction ...

, with men charged 21

shillings The shilling is a historical coin, and the name of a unit of modern currencies formerly used in the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, other British Commonwealth countries and Ireland, where they were generally equivalent to 12 pence ...

each quarter, and women charged 12 shillings and sixpence per quarter. The company changed hands in 1935 with the fleet sold to Nat Lappin with ferry services continuing as well as for-hire services operated by the Royal Ophir Pleasure Boat Company. It was appropriated for use as a

troopship A troopship (also troop ship or troop transport or trooper) is a ship used to carry soldiers, either in peacetime or wartime. Troopships were often drafted from commercial shipping fleets, and were unable to land troops directly on shore, typic ...

in the

Middle East The Middle East (term originally coined in English language) is a geopolitical region encompassing the Arabian Peninsula, the Levant, Turkey, Egypt, Iran, and Iraq. The term came into widespread usage by the United Kingdom and western Eur ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, along with one other Val-boat. After the war, Lappin sold the fleet in 1949 due to increasing competition from

public transport Public transport (also known as public transit, mass transit, or simply transit) are forms of transport available to the general public. It typically uses a fixed schedule, route and charges a fixed fare. There is no rigid definition of whic ...

, with ''Valdura'' being part of four Val-boats sold to the Fremantle Harbour Trust in 1953 for use to transport workers around

between

North North is one of the four compass points or cardinal directions. It is the opposite of south and is perpendicular to east and west. ''North'' is a noun, adjective, or adverb indicating Direction (geometry), direction or geography. Etymology T ...

and

South South is one of the cardinal directions or compass points. The direction is the opposite of north and is perpendicular to both west and east. Etymology The word ''south'' comes from Old English ''sūþ'', from earlier Proto-Germanic ''*sunþa ...

Wharves A wharf ( or wharfs), quay ( , also ), staith, or staithe is a structure on the shore of a harbour or on the bank of a river or canal where ships may dock to load and unload cargo or passengers. Such a structure includes one or more berths ( ...

. After the sale it was renamed ''Penguin'' and underwent a year-long

overhaul Overhaul may refer to: * The process of overhauling, see ** Maintenance, repair, and overhaul ** Refueling and overhaul (eg. nuclear-powered ships) ** Time between overhauls Time between overhauls (abbreviated as TBO or TBOH) is the manufactu ...

with new

superstructure A superstructure is an upward extension of an existing structure above a baseline. This term is applied to various kinds of physical structures such as buildings, bridges, or ships. Aboard ships and large boats On water craft, the superstruct ...

, wheelhouse, and a 19-horsepower

Gardner Gardner may refer to: People and fictional characters *Gardner (given name) *Gardner (surname) Places United States * Gardner, Colorado *Gardner, Illinois *Gardner, Kansas *Gardner, Massachusetts * Gardner, North Dakota * Gardner, Tennessee * Ga ...

engine installed. In 1967 it was replaced by a purpose-built vessel and was sold to a private owner. ''Valdura'' was used as a

houseboat A houseboat is a boat that has been designed or modified to be used primarily for regular dwelling. Most houseboats are not motorized, as they are usually moored or kept stationary, fixed at a Berth (moorings), berth, and often tethered to ...

before being abandoned in the Swan river, becoming a danger to navigation, the Swan River Trust donating the stricken ship to the

Western Australian Maritime Museum The Western Australian Museum is a statutory authority within the Culture and the Arts Portfolio, established under the ''Museum Act 1969''. The museum has six main sites. The state museum, WA Museum Boola Bardip, is located in the Perth Cult ...

in 1993, it's restoration was complete by 2001,{{Cite web , date=2003 , title=WAM Annual Report 2002-2003 , url=https://museum.wa.gov.au/sites/default/files/WAMuseumAR_2002-03_0.pdf , access-date=23 October 2024 , website=

Western Australian Museum The Western Australian Museum is a statutory body, statutory authority within the Culture and the Arts Portfolio, established under the ''Museum Act 1969''. The museum has six main sites. The state museum, WA Museum Boola Bardip, is located i ...

, page=50 , issn=2204-6127 and ''Valdura'' is now displayed in the main maritime museum building at

Elizabeth Quay Elizabeth Quay is a mixed-use development project in the Perth#cbd, Perth central business district. Encompassing an area located on the north shore of Perth Water near the landmark Swan Bells, the precinct was named in honour of Elizabeth II, ...

. Valdura Place in the

City of Perth The City of Perth is a local government areas of Western Australia, local government area and body, within the Perth metropolitan area, which is the capital of Western Australia. The local government is commonly known as Perth City Council. T ...

is named after the ferry.

References

Ferries of Western Australia 1901 – World War I ships of Australia Troop ships of Australia Motorboats Ships of Western Australia Museum ships in Australia Ships built in Western Australia 1912 ships Swan River (Western Australia) Fremantle Harbour