FUN FACTS

George

Description – Steel-hulled, commercial, fire-fighting tug

Role – Fire-fighting, salvage and emergency response services

Speed – 10 knots

Crew – 4 – Master, engineer and two crew

Hose capacity – 10,000 litres a minute in a 90 metre jet

Angus

Description – Short haul, single hull, twin engine ferry

Role – Only services the safer Inner Harbour

Speed – 12 knots

Crew – Master, engineer and general-purpose hand

Capacity – 400 passengers

Pyrmont Bridge

Pyrmont Bridge is one of the world’s oldest surviving electrically operated swing span bridges – it opened in 1902 and initially carried cars. This was where Boris was marooned in ‘Fergus Joins the Search’.

Admiralty House

This is Admiralty House, which is the official residence of the Governor General, who is the King’s representative in Australia.

Harbour Bridge

The Harbour Bridge is the entrance to the Inner Harbour. Manly ferries don’t usually go up the Inner Harbour.

The Harbour Bridge contains approximately 6,000 rivets which hold together 52,800 tonnes of steel.

It was opened on 19 March 1932. At 48.8 metres, it is the tallest and widest steel arch bridge in the world.

Opera House

The Sydney Opera House is one of the most famous buildings in the world and sits beside Sydney Harbour. It is known for its white, sail-shaped roofs that look like shells or waves. The building was designed by a Danish architect named Jørn Utzon and opened in 1973. Inside the Opera House are theatres and concert halls where people watch music, dance, plays, and performances. It is home to the Sydney Symphony Orchestra and Opera Australia. Many visitors come to take photos, watch shows, and enjoy views of the Harbour Bridge nearby.

Circular Quay

This is where the ferries come to take passengers to the city. Circular Quay is the hub for Sydney’s ferry services with over 100 departures every day.

Fort Denison

Fort Denison is a small island fort in the middle of Sydney Harbour, close to the Sydney Opera House. Long ago, it was called Pinchgut Island. The fort was built in the 1800s to help protect Sydney from enemy ships. Stone walls and cannons were added so soldiers could watch the harbour and keep people safe. Fort Denison was also used as a place to punish prisoners in early colonial times. Today, it is a historic site that people can visit by ferry. Visitors can explore the old buildings, learn about history, and enjoy beautiful harbour views.

Garden Island

Garden Island is the home of the Royal Australian Navy’s Fleet Base East. It was established in 1788 as a place to grow vegetables for the First Fleet. Ark, the aircraft carrier, would have docked here.

Wooloomooloo

When built, Wooloomooloo was the largest wooden structure in the world. It is now home to apartments, great restaurants and a hotel.

Taronga Zoo

Taronga Zoo is a famous zoo in Sydney, Australia, located on a hill overlooking Sydney Harbour. It is home to more than 4,000 animals from Australia and around the world with 34o different species.

All but 8 of the 48 shark bites recorded in Sydney Harbour since 1807 were inflicted by bull sharks. Bull sharks tend to like murky waters, hunting at dawn and dusk and in high-transit areas. Sydney has a number of beaches where nets are installed, to provide a safe area to swim – free of the danger of shark bites.

Cruising Yacht Club of Australia

This is the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia. It is where the boats which take part in the race in ‘Fergus Goes Bang’ start from in the Boxing Day race.

Darling Point

In March 1995, Mary Meagher, was paddling in the Harbour just off Darling Point on her surf ski when a shark swam underneath her, bit a chunk out of her surf ski and flipped her into the water. She got back onto her ski and waited for 10 minutes – petrified – until a ferry came and rescued her. This is the origin of the story in ‘Fergus to the Rescue’.

Double Bay

Double Bay is one of the stops on Fergus’ usual run to Rose Bay and Watson’s Bay.

Bradley’s Head

This is Bradley’s Head. The foremast of the cruiser HMAS Sydney, which took part in the first ship against ship battle in World War 1, is mounted here as a memorial to that battle.

Fergus Ferry

Description – Short haul, single hull, twin engine ferry

Role – Services the Outer Harbour and destinations to Watsons Bay. Doesn’t usually cross the entrance to the Harbour where there can be big swells and rough waves.

Speed – 12 knots

Crew – Master, engineer and general-purpose hand

Capacity – 400 passengers

Kate

Description – Offshore police patrol vessel

Role – Law enforcement, search and rescue

Speed – 26 knots

Crew – Master and two deck hands

Hydro

Description – High-speed, planning hydrofoil

Role – High speed service on the Manly run

Speed – 35 knots

Crew – 4

Capacity – 140 passengers

Lady Jane

Description – Double-ended, single hull ferry

Role – Used to operate the Circular Quay to Manly run but is now a restaurant

Speed – 17 knots (and there’s still no ferry that’s faster than that)

Crew – Sufficient

Capacity – 1,781 passengers

‘C’ Seaplane

Description – Single engine float plane, capable of landing on any suitable waterway

Role – Scenic trips above the Harbour and short trips along the coastline

Speed – 160 knots

Crew – 1 pilot

Capacity – 12 passengers

Rose Bay

Rose Bay was Sydney’s first international airport from 1938. It was used when passengers flew the world in flying boats. This is where ‘C’, the seaplane operates from.

Boris and Horace

Description – Double ended single hull ferry. Manly ferries don’t need to turn around because they have a bridge at the front and the back

Role – Operates the Circular Quay to Manly service. Crosses the entrance to the Harbour in all but the roughest seas.

Speed – 12.5 knots

Crew – Master, engineer and 4 general purpose hands

Capacity – 1,100 passengers

Jimmy and Jock

Description – Steel-hulled, twin screw, harbour tug

Role – Assisting ships up to 280 metres to dock

Speed – 12 knots

Crew – Master, engineer and two bollard hands

Capacity – 41 tonnes bollard pull

Jimmy and Jock

Description – Steel-hulled, twin screw, harbour tug

Role – Assisting ships up to 280 metres to dock

Speed – 12 knots

Crew – Master, engineer and two bollard hands

Capacity – 41 tonnes bollard pull

South Head

The red and white lighthouse marks the entrance to the Harbour

Sow and Pigs

The Sow and Pigs reef is a partially submerged rocky shoal in the middle of the Harbour. It is a hazard to ships which is why there are channel markers on it. This is where Boris crashed on the day when fog blanketed the Harbour.

Here’s a channel marker in the harbour. These look like wedding cakes. They tell the ships which way to go. At night, the lights that’s inside them light up green or red. When leaving the harbour, you keep the green ones on your left, the red ones on your right. Don’t get that wrong!

Watsons Bay

This is the last stop on Fergus’ run. He doesn’t usually cross the entrance to the Harbour (the Heads) because it can get too rough.

Watsons Bay is Australia’s oldest fishing village.

Parsley Bay

Parsley Bay is a protected beach with a net across the entrance to stop sharks from attacking people swimming there. Whales, particularly humpbacks can sometimes be spotted near Parsley Bay during the peak migration season which runs from May to November. This is where Fergus saved the whale from being hit by Flash. Boats are not allowed to go at a speed of more than 6 knots within 300 metres of a whale.

Manly

The end of Boris and Horace’s run. Hydro, Jet and Jess also work the Manly run

Tess

Description – Ground based rescue helicopter

Role – Coastal surveillance and search and rescue operations

Speed – 125 knots

Duration of maximum flight – 2 hours

Capacity – Can rescue up to 6 people in all weather conditions

Whales can sometimes be seen in Sydney Harbour, especially during their migration along the coast of New South Wales. Each year, from May to November, humpback and southern right whales travel between Antarctica and warmer waters to give birth and feed their calves. While most whales stay in deeper waters, occasionally some come close to the harbour entrance, and lucky visitors can spot them from ferries, beaches, or lookout points. People often watch for their tails, fins, or spouts of water when they surface to breathe. Whale-watching tours offer a safe way to see these magnificent creatures up close without disturbing them.

Jet and Jess

Description – Twin-hulled catamaran of welded aluminum construction

Role – High speed service on the Manly run

Speed – 30 knots

Crew – 4

Capacity – 280 passengers