Kanangra 1912 - Saving The Last Of Sydney'S Famous 'K' Class Ferries

Our volunteers are working hard all over Kanangra at the moment. Last weekend Branco continued restoration of the Port main deck aft sliding door. The adjacent door next to the stairwell has also been recently completed. @ Kanangra 1912 - Saving the last of Sydney's famous 'K' Class Ferries

Check the fantastic footage of Kanangra at the start of this compilation from YouTube.

We are now on Instagram as well as Facebook as @kanangra1912. Install the app to follow our photos and videos. https://instagram.com/download/?r=8496135 584

Wishing our Kanangra a very happy 106th birthday. Hope you enjoy these photos from Stuart McPherson taken in 1981 on the Mosman run.

Before and after - These photos show the aft end all but finished and the forward end under tarps with work about to start - taken yesterday.

A big thanks to Milton Cotterell for posting this photo of Kanangra alongside the Sea Heritage Dock at Rozelle Bay. Given the the James Craig is still in its early restoration phase, this was likely taken around 1995 / 1996, not long after leaving Sydney Seaport in Cockle Bay, Darling Harbour.

Kanangra can also be seen in this beautiful color photo still as a steamer berthed at 5 east pontoon.

Kanangra receives $5000 grant from Sydney Motorways Corporation:
The Kanangra team have been working hard to raise the profile of the vessel in the broader community. We have temporarily altered our fundraising strategy away from a direct appeal to fund her lift out towards grant funding for woodwork restoration and publicity initiatives. This change in strategy allows us to:
Husband the funds we have raised for the lift out so far and prevent them being eroded by continual s...mall purchases for paint, wood, insurance, glues etc
Maintain a good level of activity on the vessel which will be vital to a successful appeal for the lift out
Increase community engagement with the vessel and her removal from the water
Investigate what grant funding may be available for lift out and how best to position ourselves for major grants in this respect
We are very excited to announce that the vessel has been awarded a community grant for $5000 from the Sydney Motorways Corporation. This grant is to be expended on the restoration of the foredeck and forward wheelhouse. At SHF we pride ourselves in how much we achieve with so little and these funds will sure go a long way to completing this important project. Many of you will have seen the great work that was done by our volunteers on the aft deck and wheelhouse and we can now take our skills and learnings gained from the aft deck project and transfer them to the other end of the ship. This area is in very poor shape thanks to an infestation of white ants that called it home for many years.
Since completing the aft deck area and wheelhouse, our teams have been gradually moving their restoration activities forward down the port side (the side you can see from the Sea Heritage Dock). The work that is being carried out includes structural repairs to the timbers, along with strip back, sanding and application of fresh paint. All drop down windows are being repaired and reinstalled with modern fully donated shatter proof glass. All of this is permanent long term work that will see Kanangra through for many years to come.
If you are interested in getting involved with Kanangra we would love to hear from you. Whether it be joining our work teams who generally meet on a Tuesday or Thursday, or helping out with our publicity and community fundraising projects there is plenty to do. And don’t forget to spread the word of our efforts to save last of the great ‘K’ class Sydney Ferries. You never know who you might be talking to that may be interested and able to help us towards funding the main project to lift Kanangra out of the water so she can be saved for future generations to enjoy.
The attached photos highlight the areas of the ship that will now be able to be worked on thanks to this generous grant.
See more

Kanangra and her sister Kirawa were the 2nd largest of the 'K' class. There were only 2 that were bigger and by a considerable margin. One of them, the Koompartoo is pictured in this great photo posted today on Ferries of Sydney. Quiz Question - what was the name of her sistership and what was she famous for ? (Lance - you are not eligible you enter 😀).

Kanangra enjoying some well deserved time out of the water in the Balmain Shipyard drydock back in 1979. The last time she was out of the water was in this dock back in 1990. It is important that we continue to gain support to finance her removal from the water as soon as possible. One way of doing this is to spread the word and increase the number of followers we have on social media because this is how we put this campaign to save this unique part of Sydney's transport history in the spotlight. So please continue to share this page to everyone you know because you never know who out there may rekindle a connection with Kanangra and be able to help us long term to save the last of Sydney's 'K' class ferries. Photos: Stuart McPherson

Kanangra's engineer and greaser (names not known) at the controls of her old steam engine - mid 1950s. This fantastic image from Bill Allen's collection.

Kanangra's heart is an 8 Cylinder Crossley Diesel. Installed in 1958, this classic piece of machinery propelled Kanangra around the Harbour for the next 27 years. There are still examples of this type of engine operating around the world, most notably at Star Ferries in Hong Kong. No reduction gearbox and direct reversing meant that each berthing involved at least 2 restarts of the engine to go astern and then ahead again. A typical day in service involved over 300 restarts ...with compressed air being delivered into the cylinders to turn the engine over. Inevitably cylinder heads were occasionally cracked, however overall they were a very reliable and fuel efficient engine. Our team of volunteer engineers have worked steadily over the past few years to rebuild Kanangra's Crossley and it is now at a stage where it can be turned over on air once more. Great effort team. Photos: Brett Smith
See more

A great before and after comparison taken yesterday. Left is the forward end and right the nearly completed aft section. All this work is being carried out by volunteers with minimal resources - truly an amazing team.

This photo taken yesterday shows the upper deck progress in 3 clear stages. On the left we have original timbers stripped back to bare. Then a section being primed and completed panelling with new paintwork on the right. This is the Port side and the team are working aft to for'd.

This fantastic footage shows various 'K' class and Manly Ferries around the 4 minute mark. What is even more special is that the ferry footage was taken from the wheelhouse of a Manly Ferry (you can see the spokes of the helm spinning in front of the camera). The 'K' class in steam passing by is similar in size to Kanangra however looks to be one of the timber hull versions, perhaps Kubu or Kosiusko ?? Many thanks to Mori Flapan for sending this through.

Welcome one and all to our new page. Sydney Heritage Fleet's Kanangra is the last of the 'K' class inner harbour ferries that serviced Sydney's commuters for most of the 20th Century. The historical significance of this vessel to Sydney's transport heritage and its beautiful harbour can not be over stated. As such Sydney Heritage Fleet are committed to this project to ensure Kanangra is preserved so that future generations can step on board and experience what it was like t...o commute by ferry in Sydney over a century ago. The project is well underway, however our biggest challenges still lay ahead. We invite you all to follow our journey, and if you would like to come on down and see first hand how the project is progressing we would love to see you aboard. Team Kanangra is always looking for more volunteers and supporters to join us. Whether it be working aboard, or helping with our fundraising efforts we would love to hear from you. You can contact us directly through this Facebook page via private message. Brett Smith - Kanangra Restoration Committee - Sydney Heritage Fleet
See more