Roy and I decided that, it being the Christmas School Holidays, and rather warm, this was the perfect opportunity to tell you about the Codock II, now known as the 'Cockatoo Ferry' which runs cruises around Brisbane Waters throughout the holidays. After all, there is nothing better on a hot day than messing about in boats and on the water! The Cockatoo Ferry runs between Woy-Woy and Ettalong each day of the School Holidays and tickets are $12 for a 2 hour, 20 minute round trip.
The Cockatoo Ferry was built during or shortly after World War II and was intended as a standard 'workboat' for the defence services. When it was first built it would have been run by only two crew, and these two would have had limited accomodation and shelter on board. The ferry would have originally been used to carry either cargo or defence people. In 1947 though, the ferry was purchased by the Cockatoo Dockyard and the layout was converted to what we see today.
Cockatoo Dockyard was built on Cockatoo Island, the largest of the Islands in Sydney Harbour. The first settlement on the island, from 1839, was actually a convict prison, used to house convicts who had been transferred from Norfolk Island. The Island was used as a prison or reformatory up until 1908, but the dry docks, Cockatoo Dockyard, were constructed long before the prisons on the island were abandoned. Governor George Gipps suggested that a dry dock be built on the Island, using convict labour, in 1845 and construction began in 1851. The first ship to be docked there, in 1857 was the HMS Herald and from that time on the Island was used as a Dockyard. At first, the prison superintendent was responsible for the docks, then the NSW Government and then the Commonwealth Government. Then, with the Docks having trouble finding sufficient work, they were transferred in 1933 to a private company, the Cockatoo Docks And Engineering Company. If you would like to learn more about Cockatoo Dockyard click here.
The Cockatoo Ferry was used by this company to take people working on Cockatoo Island to and from work, and to and from other ships around Sydney Harbour. Although the Codock II, as it was then known, would have shared its job as an employee ferry with various other boats, it was a very special boat. The Cockatoo Ferry is beautifully fitted out inside with a wood called teak, and was given special attention to ensure it looked good. This was because it had important, extra duties. It was the VIP boat, used to transport special guests and the Cockatoo Dockyard management. The ferry ran every day until the Cockatoo Dockyard shut down. It continued to be used by various ferry companies for many years and was purchased in 2006 by Central Coast Ferries, who are restoring it to its former glory! If you would like to know more about the Cockatoo Ferry or when it runs, click here or here.
A trip on the Cockatoo Ferry makes a great day out. You can enjoy the scenery of Brisbane Waters, see its wildlife and even have fish and chips at the Fishmen's Co-Op in Woy Woy, very close to the wharf where the Ferry docks.