Ferry Stories

Our Ferries ....past and present
( and other stories)

A trip down memory lane with long-term Island residents

Do you have a story ? Email us

These stories are submitted by those who were part from a bygone era.
They are reproduced here in good faith.

Ahhhh...the good old days......when we did not like some one and they lived on the mainland....and we thought we'd better ask them for a drink. (get it over and done with). We'd always ask them on a Sunday afternoon, at about 3pm....Then we'd tell them that the last ferry leaves at 5.30 pm.....

A couple of men from the Island decided to go across to the Back Lake (I think people call it Bunga Arm these days) to fish for flounder......on the way back the weather got up and the boat capsized. (it must have dark)...both men clung to the hull of the boat for what seemed to be hours .....one fellow was out to it.... he was losing strength fast......he told the other chap to try and make shore on his own ... and tell his wife not to be too sad and he was very sorry.....it was a poignant moment.........The other chap, knowing he'd have to try to get to safety or they'll both drown ,reluctantly left his mate to go for help. Finally, the chap left behind, having made peace with the world, let go and his feet touched the bottom

You know, it's not that long ago , well into Rod Wharton's time , that we would have our New Years Eve party on our Ferry..... and the Ferry would run continuously... It would not be allowed these days..... sad !!

I remember this Mainlander , he would collect the empties to raise money for the RSL. We'd all line up our empties on the front lawns...In neat rows . What a sight... and sure enough he'd be there in his battered old ute and pick them up....He'd get to the ferry and it would be the only car the ferry driver took........" too heavy for anything else

a bit more history... this one is hard to believe

About 50 years ago a family called Richardson lived at Ocean Grange (on the Ninety Mile Beach ).. They had three children... Here it comes ( for those of you who know where Ocean Grange is, it is beyond belief.).. Those three children used to swim/walk from their home to Paynesville and back on a regular basis
We would love to hear from one of those children...Please get in touch with us. We believe one of the three has since passed away .

This used to happen a lot.....people missed the last ferry...they would "borrow "a boat moored on the Mainland and row home......" I can't ever remember someone really minding........... .........as long as the " borrowed " item would be returned the next morning....and that always happened.

This story goes back about sixty years . " There were no fences on the Island in those days. One of our citizens was a bull that had a herd ( harem ) He used to roar as he roamed the Island ....People would run for cover... The worry was that he'd take his anger out on the ferry ( such as it was in those days )

A past ferry driver ...used to run ,what some Islanders called , " The Drunks' Ferry "....It was the last Ferry on a Friday night ...the driver would go to the pub to join the Islanders for a quick drink .......They in turn would shout him drinks .That was a sure way to keep him from leaving at 6.45..... Sometimes the Ferry would not leave until 7.30.....People who wanted to get across, more often than not, had to wait until he was good and ready or join him in the pub. The reason it was called the " Drunks' Ferry " was after drinking in the pub, all and sundry ( inc. this particular driver ) would be standing at the back of the ferry finishing their stubbies as it made its way back home

We think this photo was taken in 1967. The same year she sank. Passengers used to have to work the chains to pull the Punt across. After a ferry driver was appointed there was still no " Punt "charge except on Sundays.
Does any one know any of the people on board.
Please email
Garry Kenner thinks the driver was Reg Medling and the young girl leaning against the ramp support chain is one of his girls Ros.

A story from David Hamilton. When he was a very little boy. David thinks it might be as much as 55 years ago or even more, his father asked him to go across in the ferry boat to buy something from the corner store on the mainland. On the jetty David dropped his mother’s purse and it slipped through a gap into the water. It floated, but out of his reach. He remembers this as clearly as if it happened yesterday, as the purse floated away the RAAF crash boat ( did you know they had a crash boat on the Lakes ? ) saw it, picked it up out of the water and returned it to David and gave him a ride over to the mainland.

About the RAAF Crash boat mentioned above:

FROM= GARRY KENNER
THE RAAF CRASH BOAT.

THE CRASH BOAT AS I CAN REMEMBER AS A KID WOULD BE TYRED UP ALONG the ISLAND’s WESTERN BLV. AT XMAS AND ON NEW YEARS EVE .THE PERSONAL WOULD COME TO THE FERRY PARK AND LET OFF FLAIRS AT MIDNIGHT WHERE MY PARENTS AND FRIENDS WOULD GATHER TO SEE IN THE NEW YEAR.

THE BOAT WAS STATIONED AT THE HEART LANDING AS IT'S KNOWN. (SALE SIDE OF LAKE WELLINGTON) THERE WAS A FULL SLIPWAY AND WORK SHED FOR REPAIRS ALL OF WHICH HAS GONE.

ONE LITTLE STORY ABOUT THIS SLIPWAY AREA IS REG MEDLING AND SON GRAEME WOULD BE UP THAT WAY FISHING FOR SOME DAYS GRAEME HAD MAGNET FROM AN OLD SPEAKER WITH ROPE TIDE TO IT AND DRAGGED IT ON THE BOTTOM AROUND THE SLIP AND WOULD GATHER TOOLS THAT HAD FALLEN INTO THE WATER.

Here are the two only shots of the RAAF Crash Boat (except for the Raymond Island photo in Midge Beesley's book at the jetty opening)
No one at the RAAFows where they where taken but it's at the Heart Landing, Lake Wellington at the end of Lower Heart Rd Sale off Sommertonpark Rd.

The boat is on her slipway on November 1952.

If these are the only ones the RAAF have maybe someone out there has some put out a wanted notice and see what comes up!!!
Hope we get some interest.

Cheers Garry Kenner

Please contact us by email

An other story from David Hamilton. It's about his Grandmother and the original Ferry ( as David says: " The one before the last one " ) His Grandmother had done some shopping at Fleischer's Corner Store. She hurried towards the ferry , but Budgie Williams, the driver , didn't see her and he took off and Grandma, without stopping in her stride , thinking the ferry was still there, stepped straight into the Lake.

Jill Bowler passed on the following story the other day :

Twenty-five to thirty years ago on hot days the kids, when coming home from school, would board the ferry, strip to their undies and jump overboard. After swimming alongside the ferry as it made its way across the Strait, they would dress, collect their school bags and head home.

They also told us that the” school ferry “would wait in the mornings until all the kids were aboard before leaving. The same happened in the afternoons.

RAYMOND ISLAND BRIDGE!

Whilst operating the ferry a few years ago I started to load on the Island side. The first car on was a very smart & tidy brand new looking SAAB being driven by an elderly couple who were visitors to the Island. A short moment later there was an enormous crunch from the other end of the ferry. When I turned around I was amazed to see the SAAB parked on the ramp looking skywards with bits of engine scattered on the deck! I went to offer assistance & help return the car back down to it's right & proper place on the vehicle deck. The drivers wife then advised me that her husband thought it was a bridge & so hadn't stopped!! The other cars all embarked safely leaving plenty of space in all directions around the SAAB!

Yes, I repeat the Island side which adds to the irony of it all because presumably he had driven over already!!!

Best regards,
Mark Pritchard.
Dec 08

Another Ferry story from Mark our ex Ferry Driver

G’Day,

As you are aware the ferry has the right of way over most vessels in “the Straights” (not all of them as most think).
One beautiful summer’s afternoon I left from the Island (uneventfully this time …. So far).
Shortly after leaving I noticed a trailer sailor heading at speed past the yacht club towards Paynesville. It seemed to be travelling at a speed somewhat greater than the 5 knot speed limit.
As I progressed towards Paynesville the yacht continued to head towards the ferry in a speed & direction that was increasingly likely to result in a collision!
Knowing that this time I DID have right-of-way I took the recommended collision avoidance measures! I sounded the horn (ships whistle!), tried to reach the captain on the VHF etc while maintaining cautionary speed ahead. By now the yacht was passing the Fishermans Wharf much too fast to be stopping for a coffee & oblivious of it’s imminent collision with a very large steel ferry.
With the ferry about 10-15 meters away from Paynesville it became very obvious that the yacht was going to collide with us so I bought it to a stop (against the maritime recommendations!).
The yacht then passed a few meters in front of the ferry still travelling at speed. It the collided with the jetty of the South Harbour by the vehicle access to the ferry. It rode up & came to a standstill alongside & sat there bobbing.
I looked waiting for someone to appear from the cabin but no one came.
A few moments later I saw a man running down the Esplanade past the shops. He was dripping wet!
It transpired that he’d fallen overboard at Montague Point, swam ashore & then proceeded to chase his boat down the Straights.
He wasn’t an Islander & I never saw him or his boat again!!!

Ta, Mark Pritchard (Dr)