Coasters and Colliers
The last coastal coal carrier ( colliers ) to serve on the 60 nautical run between Sydney and Newcastle had faded away by the late 1980s as natural gas flowed into the pipes of Sydney.
Small colliers, initially (sail-propelled) started carrying coals to Sydney from Newcastle almost 200 years ago. More recently the ’60 milers’ as they were called, plodded back and forth along the roughly `60 miles.’ Since the 1860s and, during the period from the end of World War I until the early 1950s they were all coal fired. Here are many images showing these smokey little craft. It was a dangerous trade and, along both the north and south coasts of NSW the sea took many of the little coasters and many of their crewmen.
The sisters recorded the little coasters making port from north and south or heading out into the teeth of a gale or just alongside their berths with the crew ashore.
For costs and availability of obtaining any of these photos without watermark, as an electronic file, as a print from the original negative (where available) or as some other format, contact the Maritime Records and Research Centre’s Curator on mrrc@shf.org.au or 02 9298 3850, quoting the full file name and giving details of format wanted.
Copyright for the majority of these images from the collection is vested in the Sydney Heritage Fleet. For the remaining images every attempt has been made to ensure correct attribution. If any originator of an image notes an error the Sydney Heritage Fleet would welcome any notification and will remove that image or modify its attribution.
Click on any image to enlarge
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- ABERSEA Nov 1, 1956. File 9.
- AYRFIELD rounds North Head. May 21, 1955. File 21.
- AYRFIELD, March 1, 1953.File 5.
- AYRFIELD, Mar 1, 1953.File 10.
- BANGALOW ,inbound, Nov. 4, 1953. File 22.
- BANGALOW,outbound, Nov 4,1953.File 22.
- BELLAMBI as coal hulk. May 3, 1953. File 30.
- BELLAMBI,detail. May 17, 1952.Davidson SHF,File 71.
- BELLAMBI. May 17, 1952.Davidson SHF.File 71.
- BERGALIA at Morts Slip. Mar 11,1951. Davidson File 54.
- BERGALIA in Rozelle Bay, Nov 19, 1955. File 3.
- BERGALIA outbound, Sep 16 1952. Davidson File 57.
- BERMAGUI in 3 Sydney Cove,Aug. 1955.File 3.
- BERMAGUI in Sydney Cove,Aug.1955.File 3.
- BERMAGUI passes Fort Denison, April 24, 1953. File 20.
- BERMAGUI, inbound. June 21 1952. Davidson SHF,File 70.
- BERMAGUI, outbound,Sep 7,1951. Davidson SHF,File 47.
- BERMAGUI. Sept 7,1951.Davidson SHF,File 47.
- BIRCHGROVE PARK, inbound, July 12,1952.Davidson SHF.File 69.
- BIRCHGROVE PARK, inbound,March 5 1951. File 25.
- BIRCHGROVE PARK, into a gale, Nov 28, 1951. Davidson File 60
- BIRCHGROVE PARK, March 3,1956.File 3.
- BIRCHGROVE PARK, March 5, 1951. File 25.
- BIRCHGROVE PARK, March 20, 1956. File 3.
- BIRCHGROVE PARK, rough seas,Nov 28 1951. Davidson File 60.
- BONALBO, July 25, 1953. File 4.
- BONALBO, March 3, 1956. File 3.
- BRANXTON (smoke) and TYALLOU, April 29, 54. File 2.
- BRANXTON from DEE WHY, April 29, 1954. File 12.
- BRANXTON, April 29,1954.File 10.
- CALDARE passes WALLARAH. July 1, 1953. File 20.
- CALDARE at Manly Gas Works, Mar 29,1951. Davidson File 53.
- CALDARE coaling Manly Gas Works, Mar 29,1951. Davidson File
- CALDARE July 1, 1953. File 11.
- CALDARE, Aug 4,1953.File 15.
- CALEDON 1956.File 8.
- CALEDON, detail Oct. 1956. File 8.
- CALEDON, Nov 26, 1952. Davidson File 56.
- CALEDON, Oct 1956. File 8.
- CANOPUS 1903,detail. Sep 10,1957. File 19.
- CANOPUS Mar 13,1952.Davidson File 62.
- CANOPUS passes Heads traffic. July 24,1953.File 21.
- CANOPUS, Aug.1956.File.3.
- CANOPUS, Mar 30, 1953. File 6.
- CANOPUS, oubound. Mar 27 1952. Davidson File 61.
- CANOPUS,outbound, July 8,1953. File 21.
- COBARGO readies tow, Nov 19,1957. File 19.
- COBARGO, Feb 26, 1953. File 12.
- COBARGO, laid up, Feb 26,1953. File 11.
- CORRIMAL, later AYRFIELD, Morts. Mar 11 1951. Davidson File
- DUBBO, BUNDALEER, MARRA, April 1956.File 3.
- DUNMORE, March 15, 1954. File 11.
- DUNMORE, Nov.19,1957.File 19.
- DUNMORE, outbound, March 15, 1954.File 21.
- ETMOR, ex MELINGA, Nov 19, 1957.File 19.
- JILLIAN CROUCH, inbound,Davidson SHF,File 71.
- JILLIAN CROUCH, Sydney, Oct 1956. File 8.
- KARUAH Jan 31, 1952. Davidson File 64.
- KARUAH, Jan 31 1952. Davidson File 64.
- KINDUR at 1 Sydney Cove, May 12, 1953.
- KINDUR in Yarra R. Nov.3, 1954.File 20.
- KINDUR, Nov 29, 1956.
- LUTANA, Yarra R. Oct 29.1954. File 11.
- LUTANA, Yarra R. Oct. 29, 1954. File 20.
- MELINGA May 13.1951.Davidson File 52.
- MELINGA, Mort Bay, May 13,1951. Davidson File 52.
- MELINGA. Ap 18,1952.Davidson File 67.
- MERILYN, ex NARRABEEN, Nov 1, 1953. File 6.
- MERILYN, Yarra R. Nov 1, 1954. File 6.
- MORTLAKE BANK, April 27, 1951. File 26.
- MULUBINBA with steam lighter, May 30, 1955. File 22.
- MULUBINBA, May 30,1955.File 22.
- NARANI at Morts Yard. Mar 11,1951,Davidson File 54.
- NATONE ex WONGALA, hogged, April 16, 1957.
- PELAW MAIN, Oct. 24, 1954. File 11.
- PELAW MAIN, Aug 20,1951.Davidson SHF,File 43.
- PELAW MAIN, off Sth.Head. Nov 28 1951. Davidson File 60.
- PELTON BANK, April 21, 1951. File 26.
- PELTON BANK, inbound, April 29,1952.Davidson File 67.
- TUGGERAH at Balls head. May 13, 1953. File 30.
- TUGGERAH, off Sth.Head. April 10,1951.File 27.
- TUGGERAH, outbound, April 10,1951. File 27.
- UKI, Feb 19,1956.File 3.
- UKI, Nov.19, 1957.File 19.
- UKI, quiet day, Sept 25, 1952. File 29.
- UKI, Sydney Cove, Nov 26, 1957. File 30.
- UKI. February 9,1956.File 3.
- ULMARRA Aug 2, 1953. File 2.
- WALLARAH February 1956.File 3.
- WALLARAH, 1956.File 8.
- WALLARAH,outbound, 1956. File 8.
- WAREATEA in Yarra R. Oct 30, 1954. File 20.
- WAREATEA Oct. 30, 1954. File 20.
- WAREATEA, Oct 30, 1954. File 11.
- WAREATEA, Oct 30, 1954. File 20.
- WILLIAM MACARTHUR, March 1957. File 14.
- WILLIAM MACARTHUR, July 28, 1958. Davidson SHF, File 33.
- WONGALA, 4 Sydney Cove,Nov. 1955. File 3.
- WONIORA, Nov 3, 1954. File 10.
- WYRALLAH Jan 25,1952.Davidson File 64.
- WYRALLAH March 3, 1955.
- WYRALLAH at 1 SydCove, March 3, 1955.File 21.
- WYRALLAH, April 22, 1958.Davidson File 32,SHF.