A year-by-year record of the John Oxley Restoration Project
Sydney Heritage Fleet is a volunteer based non-profit organisation that continues its restoration of the last remaining coastal steamship in Australian waters.
John Oxley was built in Paisley, Scotland and steamed out to work in Australian waters for the next 40 years.
John Oxley was laid up for most of 1969, but original chief engineer Aub Binnie loved his old ship and regularly visited to look after the machinery. Aub’s old ship was to be scrapped, but a surprise bid from the Lady Hopetoun and Port Jackson Marine Steam Museum (now Sydney Heritage Fleet) saw this old ship donated for preservation rather than facing the scrapper’s torch.
After some intensive hard work by SHF members, John Oxley was able to be steamed from Brisbane to Sydney under her own power and with a crew of museum volunteers.
The fledgling museum then was able to steam this remarkable survivor from the age of steam for trips on Sydney Harbour and even undertook a number of trips to nearby ports of Newcastle and Jervis Bay.
Restoration Milestones
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John Oxley was built in 1927 by Bow McLachlan of Paisley in Scotland. She was built to the order of the Queensland Harbours and Marine Board and steamed out under her own power for service as pilot vessel in Moreton Bay and as a buoy tender and lighthouse tender along the Queensland coast.
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The Queensland Government had intended to scrap John Oxley, but instead, donated her to the fledgling Lady Hopetoun and Port Jackson Marine Steam Museum. A museum crew went to Brisbane to prepare John Oxley for the delivery voyage and steamed her down the coast to her new home in Sydney arriving on August 17, 1970.
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In 1973 John Oxley was laid up because of concerns over thin hull plates. It would be 27 years before Sydney Heritage Fleet would be able to commence serious restoration on this iconic steamship.
Over these years however, the SHF workforce worked to restore other SHF vessels, all the time rediscovering and practising the skills needed to rebuild John Oxley.
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In 1997 the tired old hull of John Oxley was placed onto the Sea Heritage Dock, a purpose built barge that was constructed so that SHF vessels could be restored out of the water at a slower and more cost realistic pace.
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Restoration officially commenced in 2002 when a few volunteers cut into the main hold of John Oxley.
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Restoration commenced in earnest in 2004.
The next 18 years would see a huge amount of work take place - Most hull plates were replaced along with underlying structures (including new boiler stools). Engineering work included replacement of most piping systems, and a full restoration of all machinery. Above the hull works include replacement of steel main deck and boat deck, plus repairs to most main deck to superstructure coamings. Main deck bulwarks and boat deck railing have been replaced. Most cabins have also been refitted including Master's cabin, chartroom and engineers' cabins.
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John Oxley refloated!
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Current tasks include retube of both boilers (almost complete), construction of boiler furnace arrangements and uptakes, work on cabin fitouts, and there is always painting.
