Gayundah for CoastaI Trade. It was mentioned recently in the ‘Post’ that the gunboat Gayundah, which for many years formed portion of Queensland’s miniature navy, is to return to this State as a cargo vessel. Some weeks ago the Navy Department called tenders for the purchase of the Gayundah, and J. Burke Ltd., Brisbane. were the successful tenderers. It is proposed to convert the gunboat into a cargo vessel and employ her in the Queensland coastal trade. The Gayundah. to which an interesting and romantic history attaches, is a vessel of 300 tons, and was built for the Queensland Government about 30 years ago. Together with the gunboat Paluma and the torpedo boot Midge, she formed the Queensland “fleet” for a number of years. The Northern Herald (Cairns, Qld. : 1913 – 1939) Wed 12 Jan 1921 Page 6 THE GAYUNDAH TO GO. Maryborough Chronicle, Wide Bay and Burnett Advertiser (Qld. : 1860 – 1947) Thu 9 Sep 1920 Page 2 GAYUNDAH HELD UP. The Sydney Morning Herald (NSW : 1842 – 1954) Wed 29 Apr 1914 Page 17 THE GAYUNDAH. TRANSFORMATION PROCESS. H.M.A.S. Gayundah is being transformed, says the Sydney Morning Herald. Some days ago she went into Cockatoo docks with the same little low ?? ?? ?? which Australians have known for nearly thirty years. She was a ??? of the famous? flat iron type of gunboat. Where her bow ought to have been there was a triangle of deck ?? ?? ?? a single enormous 8 in. gun ?? ?? from the middle of her fore-head as it were. The blacks on the Queensland coast called her the “broken nose man o’ war.” When the Gayundah comes out of Cockatoo her broken nose will have been mended for ever. The authorities have decided to build her up a respectable forecastle. It will hold another twenty men or so. And the Gayundah, which has already put in thirty years, will probably serve another highly useful thirty. The Gayundah has in her the same engine which brought her out from England in 1884. She steamed a bare ten knots on her trials then, and she steams well over ten knots today. She is used for training the naval reserves along the coast, and she is at work year in year out. She steams 14,000 miles a year and her particular virtue is that she steams it very cheaply. Australians only imperfectly realise what an important ship the Gayundah is. It is all wrong about the [H.M.A.S] Australia. The Australia was not the first flagship. That honour is claimed by the Gayundah. Shortly after the Commonwealth was inaugurated the Commonwealth of the day ?? ?? in line ahead from the Brisbane River. The Gayundah was leading, the Paluma kept station on her, the picket boat Midge brought up the rear. On the occasion of that historic cruise the Gayundah bore the senior officer’s flag. She has not forgotten it… Morning Bulletin (Rockhampton, Qld. : 1878 – 1954) Thu 26 Mar 1914 Page 5 RE-ARMING THE GAYUNDAH. Maryborough Chronicle, Wide Bay and Burnett Advertiser (Qld. : 1860 – 1947) Mon 18 Dec 1911 Page 5 Brisbane, Friday. The gunboat Gayundah returned to Brisbane to-day from a four months’ cruise on the north and north-west coast of Australia, during which she captured two trespassing foreign fishing boats. On the return voyage the vessel travelled down the western side of the Gulf of Carpentaria as far as the Roper River. The ship’s boats went a hundred miles up the river, and picked up Professor Spencer’s scientific expedition, who were landed at Thursdav Island. Some militia men on board complained about the rations, but an inquiry served to show that there was not much ground for the complaint. Geelong Advertiser (Vic. : 1859 – 1929) Sat 26 Aug 1911 Page 3 GAYUNDAH’S SURVEYING CRUISE. It has been decided that the warship Gayundah shall undertake a surveying cruise along the Queensland coast, inside the Barrier Reed, but the date of the vessel’s departure has not yet been fixed. The Telegraph (Brisbane, Qld. : 1872 – 1947) Mon 22 Aug 1910 Page 2 The training ship Gayundah, in command of Captain Richardson, is expected to arrive next month in Cairns for the annual training of the corps. An examination will also be held for various ratings which include cadets to militia, militia to training seamen, training seamen to able seamen, able seamen to leading seamen. Cairns Morning Post (Qld. : 1907 – 1909) Tue 23 Mar 1909 Page 5 Repairs to Gayundah. The work of refitting the bunker doors of H.M.A.S. Gayundah, at Brisbane, has been completed by Smith, Faulkner, and Co., the lowest tenderers for the work. Other slight repairs to the gunboat shortly are to be carried out. The Telegraph (Brisbane, Qld. : 1872 – 1947) Thu 18 Feb 1909 Page 6GAYUNDAH’S NEW ROLE.
Another stage in the transformation of the obsolete gunboat Gayundah, which in pre-Federation days was the flagship of the Queensland fleet, has been completed. The well known ship on which many Queenslanders underwent naval training, about 1 year ago was converted from a warship into a barge. A kinder fate has been reserved for the Gayundah. Last week she was repainted a business like grey, equipped with a grab dredging plant, consisting of a derrick and a steam winch. Her job will be to scoop sand out of the upper reaches the river for her owners, the Brisbane Gravels Ltd. Captain H Tuesley is in command.
The Brisbane Courier (Qld. : 1864 – 1933) Thu 15 Apr 1926 Page 6
The Federal naval authorities have decided to ‘scrap’ the gunboat ‘Gayundah’. This now obsolete vessel was purchased by the Queensland Government, along with the sister boat ‘Paluma’, some years before Federation. She made periodical visits to Maryborough for training purposes in connection with the local Naval Brigade.
Some weeks ago the Boilermakers and Ship Builders’ Union failed to come to terms with the Shipwrights’ Union over the demarcation of work at the naval dockyards, Cockatoo Island, in respect to building new portions of frames for the renovation and remodelling of the Gayundah, an old vessel that is being altered for the Commonwealth. The boiler-makers took up the attitude that the work of attaching the plates should have gone with the building of the frames, and they decided to have nothing to do with the vessel. Work on the Gayundah is now held up. The Minister for Defence stated yesterday that he would look into this matter forthwith.
Mr. W. F. Armitage, secretary of the Amalgamated Society of Engineers, Brisbane, has received the following letter from Mr. W. F. Finlayson, M.H.R. ‘In further reply to your favour of November 8, re naval construction and repair work in Brisbane. I beg to advise you that I have been advised by the Minister for Defence that is has been arranged that the rearmament of H.M.A.S. Gayundah will be carried out in Brisbane, and the guns have been ordered to be sent from England to that port’. He says further. ‘The location of Government shipbuilding yards has not been decided upon. but the claims of Brisbane together with other places, will receive consideration when the matter is being dealt with.”
Government & Administration
1926192119201914191119101909