Mighty Mirambeena remembered by community after final voyage
Bruny Island commuters’ favourite old faithful ferry the Mirambeena set off on her final run across the D’Entrecasteaux Channel early this morning. SEE THE PHOTOS >>
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Bruny Island commuters’ favourite old faithful ferry the Mirambeena set off on her final run across the D’Entrecasteaux Channel early this morning.
The familiar two-decker blue and white boat set off into the overcast sunrise from the Kettering ferry terminal, wistfully captured by photographer Chris Crerar.
People aboard waved farewell to onlookers while the familiar roar of the ferry kicked in and the boat moved off into the gentle waters.
The boat was bound not for Roberts Point at Bruny Island, but Prince of Wales Bay to be handed over to State Growth for its disposal.
Smaller, faster SeaLink boats the Parrabah and the Nairana have taken over the popular route, with the Bowen on standby for peak periods and a second terminal under construction.
The Parrabah was named after an Aboriginal word for “whale”.
Kevin Sawford, who won a competition to name the Mirambeena in 1990, enjoyed his last voyage on the boat on Sunday, carrying the brass bell gifted to him at the launch of the boat some 30 years ago.
“She just laughed. I went to the library and got two books – one on Aboriginal words and their meaning, and one on boats.”After a lengthy process, Mr Sawford put forward “Mirambeena” – meaning “welcome” – and the panel unanimously decided his entry was the right fit.
“Because the boat is the Island’s first point of access, they thought the name was very fitting,” Mr Sawford said.
“My kids have always thought it was pretty neat their old man named it. They were excited going on the boat, and my grandkids now too.”Mr Sawford felt “pretty sad” to see the back of the boat, but he had an inkling it would return.
"I don’t think the new boats will cope without it,” he said.
“It’s got capacity to carry about 75 vehicles, these other boats carry 25.”
He enjoyed a final trip, chatted to the captain and others on board, and was given permission to steer the boat.“It was special,” he said.
Bruny Island Community Association Bill Hughes said the “great workhorse” was a ferry full of memories.“It’s been a very reliable service,” he said.“A lot of Islanders have experiences of travelling on it and it’s a 20 minute break where we get a chance to catch up with each other and have a chat.
“There’d be probably millions of photographs floating around the world of peoples’ trips on the Mirambeena.”
Mr Hughes hoped the new boats could support the crowds of commuters in peak periods, but hoped State Growth would hold onto the Mirambeena until next Easter in case it was needed.
He thanked the Mirambeena crew on behalf of BICA for their patience, hard work and helpful service over the years.
“They put up with all sorts of strange behaviour from abuse to people crashing their cars into it – to do that day in, day out with a smile takes a special kind of person,” Mr Hughes said.
The mighty Mirambeena facilitated an estimated 230,000 crossings carrying more than 6 million vehicles over its 30 year service.
Parrabah launches as newest ferry in Bruny Island fleet
April 21, 2021:
TREVOR Adams was born on Bruny Island in 1943 and was one of a select few on board SeaLink’s newest passenger ferry Parrabah for its official launch on Wednesday.
The Alonnah resident and Bruny Island Ferry Reference Group chair has seen his fair share of ferries come and go over the years.
“The old ferry from Barnes Bay was a 40-minute crossing, we referred to it as ‘two longnecks’ because that’s how much you could drink on a trip,” he said.
“On the Parrabah you’d be lucky to get a stubby down.”
Mr Adams said SeaLink and the State Growth Department had collaborated well with island residents to bring the new 45m aluminium ferry into service.
He said some residents were concerned about the government’s plans to hand the Mirambeena ferry back to the Transport Commission in May, but Mr Adams hoped the new fast ferries Parrabah and Nairana would get the job done.
“Once these new terminals are built I think it’s going to be very interesting, I’m feeling very positive about it,” he said.
The South East Tasmanian Aboriginal Corporation held a smoking ceremony and Welcome to Country at the boat’s launch and shared the whale Dreaming story behind the name Parrabah, which translates to “whale”.
Aboriginal elder Rodney Dillon told the story in which a mother protected her baby whale from a shark by guiding it down the D’Entrecasteaux channel and flicking sand at the shark, which then shaped the surrounding coastline.
He thanked SeaLink for building the boat with local workers and naming it in consultation with the Aboriginal community.
SeaLink Travel Group CEO Clint Feuerherdt said the design process for the two new boats began in 2018 and Parrabah was built locally by Richardson Devine Marine.
He said the new boats could load vehicles in under five minutes and complete a crossing from Kettering to Roberts Point in 10 minutes, with a third boat – Bowen – on standby to assist in peak crossing periods.
“Parrabah and Nairana will give travellers more flexibility through frequent and faster crossings,” Mr Feuerherdt said.
“When working together on a schedule of one departing each 20 minutes, they will provide greater capacity than the current timetable.
“(Parrabah) can take 36 vehicles.”
Transport Minister Michael Ferguson said the current capacity of 82 vehicles an hour would jump to 108 an hour once the existing terminals were upgraded and the second berth was constructed this year.
He said the Mirambeena had “done a wonderful job looking after the needs of the community”, but that it was time to say goodbye to the beloved double-decker.
“It’s now replaced by these two Tasmanian-built, faster, more reliable vessels with greater manoeuvrability,” he said.
But Labor spokesman David O’Byrne said his party questioned the government’s decision to toss aside the island’s largest ferry.
“Our commitment is we will maintain the Mirambeena on call to deal with the ebb and flow of the demand, ensuring we can get people off and on the island efficiently,” he said.
“Replacing the large Mirambeena with two boats with the combined capacity of the Mirambeena does not make sense.”
Mr O’Byrne also attacked the handling of the tendering for the project and the proposal for a ferry booking system.
“While we welcome the arrival of the new vessel, the way the government has handled the tendering and contracting has been shambolic,” he said.
“We would have a review and inquiry into the conduct of the tender process.
“This is not a reflection on SeaLink, but the government – there’s a number of other people who tendered at the time who raised significant concerns.”
BRUNY ISLAND POST-TENDER WORKS QUESTIONED
POST-TENDER UPGRADES ‘DISAPPOINTING IN THE EXTREME’
He said no issue united Bruny Island residents more than the Liberals’ proposed ferry booking system, which he said lacked flexibility for the complex service.
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