Historical information
In 1974, this 18 foot (5.5 meter) diesel-powered workboat was one of the last boats built to operate from the pilot cutter Wyuna. These boats were used to transfer pilots from the Wyuna to the ship being serviced or vice versa. Until 1946 they were propelled by two oars then simplex two-stroke petrol engines were fitted followed by diesel engines. The Pilot Service Shipwrights built the boats in a shed which stood on the site of the present Pilot Station, Tobin Drive, North of Shortland Bluff. The design is based on a Gig and was developed by the Pilots as suitable for the severe conditions at the entrance to Port Phillip. To understand how these boats were used view the film "Through The Rip" on the video in the Exhibition Hall.
Significance
Close association with Queenscliff
Physical description
Timber Workboat used to transfer pilots between Wyuna and ship requiring service
Subjects
References
- Wyuna is a former Port Phillip Pilot tender and Australian Maritime College training vessel. Her role as a pilot cutter was to sail with pilots on board to meet ships entering Port Phillip Bay. Pilots would be transferred by the Wyuna's workboat to the vessel requiring pilotage while it was stopped dead in the water, with shelter provided by the vessel itself. In the early 1970s the pilot service started using fast launches to allow pilots to board while ships were still underway, and in 1979 the Wyuna was sold to the Australian Maritime College in Launceston, Tasmania as a training vessel.
