Balgowlah (ferry)

Balgowlah was one of six near-identical ferries constructed for the Port Jackson & Manly Steamship Company (the so-called 'B Class') - the other ferries were Barrenjoey (later to be rebuilt as North Head), Baragoola, Burra Bra (later known as HMAS Barra Brui), Bellubera (Pretty Lady), and Binngarra. Of this class, only Baragoola remains on the harbour, tied up at Balls Head. North Head is in Cairns.

Identical ship to the Bellubera, last coal burner in the fleet. When built, she cost 29,000 pounds. She was named after the northern Sydney town of Balgowlah.

She was capable of carrying 1,528 passengers (highest capacity of this class) and made over 110,000 return trips to Manly during her career. She was the fastest of this class of vessel, making the normally 30 minute run in only 25 minutes.

This class of ship came to epitomise the classic Manly ferry and they were among the largest ships built in Australia at this time.

History

Unlike some of her sister ships, she had a relatively uneventful life - shortly after going into service in 1912, she tangled with the collier Five Islands and caught herself in that ship's anchor chain. Fortunately, no damage was done. In 1927, she collided with the Sydney Ferries vessel Kanimbla at Bennelong Point. Balgowlah came off with very minor damage, while Kanimbla had a huge gash torn in her side and came close to sinking. In 1929, she collided with the collier Birchrove Park, only minimal damage was done to both ships.

She scraped into the Sydney Ferries vessel Kangaroo in 1913 (ironically, Kangaroo would rescue Kanimbla’s passengers in 1927). Also in 1927, she collided with the Union Steamship Company's Manuka, losing around 10 feet (3.0 m) of her sponson. The only other noteworthy event was in 1939 when she overshot the wharf at Circular Quay and went aground in soft mud. Although she ripped through the buffer stop, no damage was done to her. It took two tugs to pull her free.

During the 1930s, the top deck of the Balgowlah was glassed in and the wheelhouse extended for crew accommodation. In 1946 it was decided that Balgowlah and Barrenjoey would be converted to diesel. Barrenjoey was first, and re-emerged in 1951 as North Head. However, Balgowlah was never converted, the cost of converting North Head left the company in grave financial circumstances and they could not afford the cost of reconditioning her hull. She made her last trip at 8:05 am to Manly on 27 February 1951 and was then laid up until 1953 prior to be sold to a shipbreaker.