Bunda-La

Vessel numberHV000464

Builder Queensland Department of Harbours and Marine ALT

Previous owner Queensland Department of Harbours and Marine ALT

Date1958

DimensionsVessel Dimensions: 12.34 m x 3.66 m, 10.67 tonnes (40.5 ft x 12 ft, 10.5 tons)

DescriptionBUNDA-LA was built by John Hasson in Brisbane in 1958 in the South Brisbane dock. It was then called DUNGENESS. The 12.34 m (40' 6") long hull is carvel planked. It had a 40 HP Perkins diesel engine installed that gave it a speed of 7.5 knots. The launch was built for the Queensland Department of Harbours and Marine for their Lucinda pilot service, which is on the coast near Ingham and Hinchinbrook Island. However it was first used for a short period in conjunction with another launch VALMA doing general work in the Brisbane River and Moreton Bay area. It was sent north to the Lucinda, Port Hinchinbrook pilot service on 27th Oct 1958, however in 1959 it was sent south to Bundaberg on the Burnett River. There it was renamed BUNDA-LA continuing the name of the vessel that it was replacing.

In 1979 BUNDA-LA was sent down to Southport to be used for the maintenance of the various beacons, lights and smaller buoy navigational aids on the smooth waterway from the Broadwater north to Potts Point on Macleay island. It remained there until 1982 when it was sold to a private owner who converted it to use for recreational fishing. It was used for fishing predominantly around Moreton Bay but went as far north as the Gulf of Carpentaria. The last private owner was Nick Venn from Caboolture, Queensland.

In 2011 BUNDA-LA has been donated by Venn to the Caboolture Historical Village and will be gradually restored as a training project for young unemployed people in the district. The Village has prepared a management plan to put the restored vessel on static display as part of the overall maritime display at the village.

SignificanceBUNDA-LA is a motor launch built in Brisbane Queensland in 1958 for the Lucinda pilot service in northern Queensland. It has had almost 25 years of working life, serving with the Queensland Department of Harbours and Marine until 1982. It was then sold into private ownership and used for recreational fishing. In 2011 it has been removed from the water and is being restored at the Caboolture Historical Village as a static exhibit. The vessel is the only one of two built from the same design that has survived.