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Kameruka and Kamiri
20th-century ferries on Sydney Harbour / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Kameruka and Kamiri were near identical ferries that served on Sydney Harbour. Kamiri was built in 1912 and Kameruka was launched on 8 February 1913. They were double-ended "K-class" steam ferries, a type that was prolific on Sydney Harbour in the early 20th century boom in cross-Sydney Harbour ferry transport before the 1932 opening of the Sydney Harbour Bridge. Kamiri was laid up in 1951 following the New South Wales government take-over of the Sydney Ferries Limited. Kameruka was converted to diesel in 1954 and was laid up in 1984.
![]() Kameruka early 1950s(?) as a steamer | |
History | |
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Name | Kamiri, Kameruka |
Operator | |
Builder | Morrison & Sinclair |
Cost | Kameruka: £13,178[1] |
Launched | 1912 (Kamiri) & 1913 (Kameruka) |
Out of service | 1946 (Kamiri), 1984 (Kameruka) |
Identification | Kamiri: O/N 131516[2] |
Fate | Kamiri broken up circa 1951, Kameruka laid up 1984, sank and broken up 1986 |
General characteristics | |
Tonnage | both 144 tons |
Length | both 34.1m |
Beam | 7.9 m |
Capacity | both 594 passengers |
Both ferries were part of a Sydney Ferries Limited tradition of naming their "K-class" ferries with Australian Aboriginal words beginning with "K". "Kamiri" is the name of an Aboriginal tribe and "Kameruka" is thought to mean 'wait til I come'.