In this course we examine the history of Sydney’s ferries, from the earliest days of NSW and the Milson’s Point ferryman ‘Billy Blue’, through growth, tragedy, celebration, and the daily round of a vast network which carries approximately 15.5m passengers each year.

DELIVERY MODE

• Hybrid (F2F & Online simultaneously)

COURSE OUTLINE

• The first days of Sydney boat transport – the ‘Old Commodore’, Billy Blue and other early boat services
• Pioneers in a new service: the North Shore Ferry Company of 1861
• 19th century expansion alongside the growth of Sydney
• ‘Seven miles from Sydney and a thousand miles from care’: the Manly Ferry
• Tragedies: the loss of the Greycliffe (1927) and the Rodney (1938)
• Expanded services
• Ferries in Sydney culture: From They’re a Weird Mob to ferry-jumping commuters
• A modern fleet: debates over the construction and maintenance of ferries

LEARNING OUTCOMES

By the end of this course, students should be able to:

1. Appreciate the key milestones in the development of a ferry service for Sydney Harbour and Parramatta
2. Increase / gain an understanding of the part that ferries continue to play in Sydney, with reference to both statistics and current debates and discussions.