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Dorothy T

Vessel numberHV000754

Builder Norman R Wright and Sons

Previous owner Midnight Oil

Date1948

DimensionsVessel Dimensions: 19 m × 16 m × 1.5 m (62.34 ft × 52.5 ft × 4.92 ft)

DescriptionDOROTHY T was named after a member of the Tilt family, the original owners. It is a carvel planked hull using New Zealand kauri. A recent rebuild has replaced planking with Oregon and frames with spotted gum and secured four watertight compartments. When it was built there was a shortage of good hardwood for the internal structure, and by 2017 many frames and other members had outlived their useful life. The twin 5LW Gardner engines also needed an overhaul, and have been reinstalled together with a Gardner 2LW generator from the same era.

It has a classic Queensland and Moreton Bay cruiser profile, with a raised deck, wheelhouse and lower aft saloon cabin. Balanced by its ketch rig and flared topsides forward it stands out as an excellent example of a bigger version of this regional style of craft, a number of which came from the Wright yard over many decades. It was originally built as a steel centreboarder, however the now fixed keel 1.6m draft is counterbalanced with 5 tonne of external lead keel.

It is fitted with a ketch rig and this provides a knot or two additional speed at times when the wind is favourable, and reduces the rolling motion considerably.

The Tilt family are understood to have been connected to Burns Philp Co. The original charts on the vessel show a lot of passages up the far north Queensland coastline and DOROTHY T probably doubled as an office as well as recreational boat for the family in this area. Mr Arthur Tilt, the listed owner in various reports, was based in the Bowen region.

An early report on the vessel comes from the Bowen Independent 16 July 1948:

“The monthly meeting of Port Denison Sailing Club was held in the School of Arts on Wednesday night, the correspondence was dealt with in the usual way and included a letter from Mr. A. T. Tilt enclosing membership and registration fees for his new -54 ft. motor sailer Dorothy T, at present nearing completion at Norman Wright’s slipway in Brisbane”

A September 1948 report notes the vessel has been launched and attends opening day for the club:

“Mr A. T. Tilt’s handsome yacht Dorothy T acted as flagship, bedecked with flags, and provided the right touch to the gay scene.”

It took part in Brisbane based events as well, and the Courier Mail 16 May 1949 notes it was part of the following social outing, including an image of some of the nurses on DOROTHY T.

“Launches took 200 Brisbane and Ipswich nurses down the Brisbane river on an annual outing with the Royal Queensland yacht Club yesterday. The party left at 9.45 a.m. for Bishop Island and returned after 5 pm. The nurses enjoyed aquatic sports off the island, and later went ashore for novelty sports and lunch.”

DOROTHY T was sold by the Tilt family at an unknown time, and passed through a succession of owners, changing its name from DOROTHY T to KIAMA and back again. One celebrity owner was the management company for the 1980s/90s s rock band Midnight Oil, when the launch probably became an entertainment outlet and social platform for management and fans of the group.

DOROTHY T has had a long association with Queensland and more recently in NSW under new ownership, where it has been structurally and aesthetically restored and fitted out with a more yacht like interior closer to the original. It retains its classic Norman Wright profile and construction, and is an excellent example of their well-fitted out larger luxury recreational craft, built as a motor sailor capable of long-distance coastal cruising, in contrast to a motor launch or cruiser built for enclosed waters.

SignificanceDOROTHY T is a wooden motorsailer built in Brisbane Queensland in 1948. It was built by well known Brisbane builder Norman Wright and sons at their Bulimba yard. It was one of the first craft built for a private owner after the 2nd World War, and is an excellent example of the range of craft built by this yard. DOROTHY T has always been operated as a recreational vessel, and has spent much of its time in Queensland waters.