McIlwraith McEacharn Line Pty.Ltd., reg. Melbourne. 1918: Commandeered as a troopship. 1919: Returned to owners. 1920: Resumed Australian coastal service. 1941: Commandeered as a troopship. 1942 Aug 4: Fired upon in the Great Australian Bight (WA) by a Japanese submarine. 1946: Returned to owners & sold to Compania Maritima del Este, reg. Panama. Refitted at Genoa and sailed under Greek Line flag. 1947: Chartered to French Line for Caribbean service. 1949: Refitted at Genoa & placed on Europe-Canada run. 1954: Neptunia Shipping Co. 1957: Laid up at Bremerhaven. 1958: Laid up at Piraeus. 1959 Sept.29: Arrived at Nagasaki, Japan having been sold to shipbreakers.Served with SS Duntroon leaving Melbourne on 12 February 1942, to join convoy MS5 to Colombo escorted by aircraft carrier HMS Enterprise. She then embarked 640 Second AIF troops to be redeployed to the South West Pacific after serving in the middle east.Brass name plate 'SS Katoomba'SS KATOOMBAwwi, wwii, passenger steamships, ss katoomba

These photographs are copies of original paintings by the Australian marine artist A V Gregory (1867-1957), also known as Arthur Victor Gregory. Gregory lived and worked in South Melbourne. He took over the Gregory Studio owned by his father, George Frederick Gregory, painting actively between 1899 and 1932. He usually signed his works as ‘A V Gregory’. Some of his original works have been sold for thousands of dollars. These mounted photographs, by A.V. Gregory, show both steam and sailing ships sailing in the Tea Race from China to London in 1872. The information included with the photographs has the following text: “Tea Clippers “ Well done Cutty Sark, by Bobbie Burns The CUTTY SARK and THERMOPYLAE. The start of the 1872 Tea Race from China to London. The “Cutty Sark” first away, followed closely by the “Thermopylae”, finally parting after several days’ company. On this race the “Cutty Sark” lost her rudder in the Indian Ocean, putting her hopelessly out of the race, and enabling the “Thermopylae” to pass her and reach London on 11th October, 115 days out, the “Cutty Sark” limping home seven days later. The credit of the race was given to the “Cutty Sark” by the shipping world. Copies of the pictures may be had from A.V. Gregory, 326 Albert Road, South Melbourne."The detailed images of the vessels depicted in this photographs shows some of the many sail and steam vessels painted by the renowned Victorian marine artist A V Gregory, whose original works are highly valued today by marine collectors. The pictures and document are significant for their association with the Tea Clippers, famous for racing across the world to arrive in Australia with the fastest time.Photographs of paintings of sail and steamships, three photographs mounted together side by side, titled "Australian Rivals - Past and Present". The centre shows the sailing ships Thermopylae and Cutty Sark. It is flanked on each side by a photograph of a steamship. The document with the photographs gives the history of the famous Tea Race from China to London in 1872.Title: "Australian Rivals - Past and Present". Handwritten on Left photograph "A.V. GREGORY - SS KATOOMBA" Handwritten on Centre photograph; "THERMOPLAE - A.V. GREGORY - CUTTY SARK - FIRST AWAY" Handwritten on Right photograph; "CANBERRA - A/V/ GREGORY" Handwritten on accompanying card is the story of the Tea Clippers.flagstaff hill, flagstaff hill maritime museum and village, warrnambool, maritime museum, maritime village, great ocean road, shipwreck coast, ss katoomba, thermopylae, cutty sark, tea race, tea race china to london 1872, canberra, tea clippers, a v gregory

Arthur V Gregory b.1867, d.1957 worked from studio at 326 Albert Road South Melbourne established by his father G F Gregory in 1852 SS KATOOMBA of McIlwraith, McEacharn & Co entered the Australian trade in 1887 bringing immigrants from Britain to Queensland. They entered into the fierce competition for passenger trade in the first decades of the 20th century when competition for passengers required companies to provide more than converted cargo vessels. In 1909 their ship KAROOLA won a reputation for its salubrious accommodation and its size, and was the first Australian ship to exceed 7,000 tons. The company maintained the advantage in 1912 by commissioning KATOOMBA, which was larger and more luxurious than all its generation of passenger ships. KATOOMBA was requisitioned as a troopship in both World War I and World War II. It was sold to a Greek company in 1949 and sold for scrap in Japan in 1959.Water colour painting in painted gilt frameA.V Gregory 1929katoomba, a.v. gregory, water colour, painting

This signature table cloth was anonymously donated to the Bacchus Marsh Blacksmith Cottage and Forge group in 2013. On the cloth are the hand embroidered names of men who served in WW1 as well as the names of family members, place names and dates of significance. In one corner of the cloth is the outline of a tennis ball, in which 6 names are listed. Research has shown that these names probably belonged to the Rose Park Methodist Tennis Club in Adelaide. Many of the other names listed seem to relate to servicemen and their families who came from South Australia. Also on this cloth are 3 beautifully embroidered butterflies, the profile of a man, a crest containing the letters B and H and the following place names and dates :- Sydney 21.10.12, Melbourne Jan 13, Goolwa, Genolan Caves NSW, Katoomba, Luna Park St Kilda and Granite Island. The name of the steamship SS Warilda also appears on this cloth. this ship belonged to the Adelaide Steamship Company. It was used to transport soldiers to WW1 and was then converted into a hospital ship, ferrying the wounded from France to England. It was hit and sank on the 3rd of August 1918.World War 1 signature table cloth. A square, white, linen table cloth with hand embroidered signatures of people and names of places, dates and objects relating to WW1.The embroidery is all done in white thread.There are also 3 embroidered butterflies, a crest and a man's profile.