Gayundah is at Cockatoo Island
When the gunboat Gayundah returns to this port from .Sydney, she will hardly he recognisable to those to whom her lumpy hull with its low bow has been a familiar object for many years past. The gunboat now is at the Commonwealth naval shipyard at Cockatoo Island, where she is undergoing extensive alterations and improvements. The principal feature of the improvements is the building up of the vessel’s bow to a level with bridge deck. This will not only add to the seagoing capabilities of the little craft. but also it will afford great accommodation for the men who undergo the periodical training operations in which the Gayundah plays the important part of flagship. A similar improvement was effected to the larger gunboat Protector, which the Commonwealth took over with the ??? system from the South Australian Government, and this has proved so successful that it has been decided to treat the Queensland gunboat in the same way. A rumour to the effect that the Gayundah would not be ready in time for the Easter manoeuvres, and that the cruiser Pioneer, which recently was acquired by the Commonwealth for naval training purposes would take her place, was somewhat persistently circulated, but inquiries at official sources elicit the statement that the Gayundah will be back in Brisbane in ample time to take her customary place in the Easter naval training operations.
The Gayundah, together with her sister the Palumah (sic), it will be remembered, was acquired by the Queensland Government at the time of the Russian war scare, in the eighties, and has remained in the undisputed possession of this State ever since. The low bow was made a feature of the vessels in order to accommodate the long 6-inch bow chasers which they each carried but which eventually were discarded because of their unwieldiness, and their expensiveness for mere training operations.
The Week (Brisbane, Qld) 23 Jan 1914 Page 24