Melbourne river cruises
River Cruises
Man and rivers have always had a very close relationship. Just read the names of the ancient civilisations and you will realise that all of them were located at the banks of important rivers, whether it be the Egyptians (the Nile), the Mesopotamians (the Euphrates and the Tigris) or the Indians (the Indus). Thus, it is no surprise that travelling the river is a popular pastime among the modern humans; we are just following some kind of instinct that is dormant in our collective subconscious. An increasingly large number of rivers all around the world have become hosts to people enjoying river cruises and getting close to the natural phenomenon that was the harbinger of ancient human society.
There are a large number of ferries and ships providing cruises and party venue services in Melbourne . One of the most popular and historically most significant is the Lady Cutler.
The Lady Cutler
Lady Cutler was laid down in March 1968 and launched at the State Dockyards in Newcastle, NSW on 10 August 1968. She was commissioned soon afterwards on 8 October and quickly made her mark on Sydney’s gay harbour life. In many ways she was different to the “classic” old Sydney ferries, but the double-ended style and effect was a similar derivative. She was followed by two almost identical sister ships – Lady Woodward and Lady McKell – on 19October 1970.
The Lady Cutler served with great distinction for 22 years on the inner harbour run and was decommissioned in 1991. Many people fondly remember her as daily commuters from the inner north shore to the city and others as day trippers to Luna Park and Taronga Zoo. Along with the Lady Woodward and Lady McKell she was originally sold to Hong Kong interests but the deal fell through. In 1998 she was sold to Ron Morrison and then to Shannon Harper, removed from Port Jackson and steamed south to Melbourne.
She completed her refurbishment in Melbourne and started her service life again in December 2007. She was re-commissioned on 13 January 2008 by the wife of the late Sir Roden Cutler VC, Lady (Joan) Cutler, who flew down from Sydney for the occasion. Today the ferry functions as a host for special events and offers a number of Melbourne river cruises. For more information on Lady Cutler, please visit their website at www.ladycutler.com.au.