MV Goondooloo serving with Tamar Sea Rescue

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MV Goondooloo

Vessel numberHV000828

Builder Maritime Services Board

Designer E.W Armstead

Date1958

DimensionsVessel Dimensions: 20.12 m × 5.41 m × 2.44 m (66 ft × 17.75 ft × 8 ft)

DescriptionMV Goondooloo was built and launched by the Maritime Services Board of NSW in 1958 at Goat Island as one of three significant pilot cutters for use in Sydney and Newcastle. Designed by E.W Armstead, MV Goondooloo is an impressive 66ft in length and is built primarily of spotted gum with white beech decks. The vessel is fitted with a large National Marine 6C 350 HP diesel engine, which is capable of carrying 400 gallons of diesel and generating an approximate maximum speed of 11 knots.

MV Goondooloo along with sister ships Girralong and Goolara were built to replace the pilot steamers at Sydney and Newcastle. The new class of pilot cutter was highly regarded by those that it assisted and those crew that served aboard. MV Goondooloo is the last of the three that remains unrestored.

From 1958 to 1992 MV Goondooloo served as a pilot vessel exclusively in Sydney and Newcastle. In 1992 it began a period of service with Tamar Sea Rescue, performing rescue operations across Northern Tasmania. This function carried on until 2014, when the vessel was sold with the intended conversion into a fishing boat. This did not occur and MV Goondooloo was left until 2020 on the banks of the Tamar River.

In March 2022 MV Goondooloo was relocated to the Tamar Yacht Club mud berth, where initial works were carried out in order to watertight the vessel prior to another move to Prince of Wales Bay Hobart for further restoration. On the 11 May 2022 MV Goondooloo made the trip to Prince of Wales Bay in 48 hours powered by its original engine. The foredeck of the vessel will be restored first, followed by the hull where planks need to be replaced. The aft deck will also be addressed, with repairs and slight modifications further made to the superstructure. The owners of MV Goondooloo intend to keep the original drivetrain and overall style and lines of the vessel.
SignificanceMV Goondooloo is a 66ft pilot cutter that was built by the Maritime Services Board of NSW in 1958. It is fitted with a large National Marine 6C 350 HP diesel engine, which is capable of carrying 400 gallons of diesel and generating an approximate maximum speed of 11 knots. MV Goondooloo was built as one of three of the same design for use as a pilot vessel in Sydney and Newcastle. It operated from 1958 to 1992, before beginning a period of service with Tamar Sea Rescue in Northern Tasmania. In 2014 MV Goondooloo was sold privately and in 2022 restoration has begun on the vessel at Prince of Wales Bay in Hobart, the owners intending to keep the overall form of the vessel.