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Tooronga

Vessel numberHV000406

Vessel Registration NumberHAL 36N

Builder Lars Halvorsen Sons Pty Ltd (1924 -)

Previous owner Halvorsen Boats

Designer Lars Halvorsen Sons Pty Ltd (1924 -)

Date1957

DimensionsVessel Dimensions: 10.97 m x 10.4 m x 3.79 m x 1 m (36 ft x 34.12 ft x 12.43 ft x 3.28 ft)

DescriptionTOORONGA is 10.97m long, and is carvel planked construction. It was built at the Halvorsen's Ryde boatbuilding yard and put into operation with the hire fleet as soon as it was launched. It was the first of a modest number of 36 foot standard cruisers built for both the fleet and private clients wanting a craft of that size.

When the hire fleet was disbanded in the 1990s it was the last vessel from the fleet sold. It went to private buyers. It is now being gradually restored and will remain in its hire fleet configuration and detail, including the chart board. It will also show some of the 'wear and tear' of its time as a hire boat; the inevitable scuffs and scratches to the fitout are now varnished over, but stay there to tell the story of its time. And despite these superficial marks it remains overall in excellent condition, and often joins in activities with other Halvorsen craft.
SignificanceTOORONGA, built in 1957, is the first Standard 36 foot cruiser built by the Halvorsen firm for their charter boat fleet. The Halvorsen Hire fleet was very well known as a popular holiday or weekend outing and the charter boats were often the only opportunity for many families to experience recreational boating in the 1950s and 1960s. TOOROONGA represents the group of larger motor cruisers that worked in tandem with the smaller Standard 25 Foot cruisers hired out from the Halvorsen's Bobbin Head base north of Sydney. It retains its original construction and layout.