U3A – Navy in Sydney Harbour Cruise, East – 2nd. May 2025

$70.00

Members, partners, family & friends of U3A.

Would you like to know more about Royal Australian Navy (RAN) activities and facilities in Sydney Harbour from 1788 to the present, especially during WW II?

You are invited to join the Naval Historical Society of Australia for a three-hour cruise east of the Harbour Bridge. The Society is a non-profit organisation run by volunteers to preserve and honour our naval history.

BOOKLET

A complementary 22 page booklet is provided as a souvenir of the cruise. The booklet is a summary of what you experienced and saw on the cruise. Lots of photos with short descriptions.

MORNING TEA: – A delicious two course morning tea of cold and hot food is served.

Feedback from people on a previous cruise resulted in 50% rating the cruise as excellent in all respects with a further 20% rating it as very good in all respects. The morning tea rated the highest with a rating of 64% excellent. 97% of the people on board would recommend the cruise to family and friends. Comments included “perfect at every level”, “very enjoyable and informative” and “wonderful experience”.

Tour Co-ordinator Contact: – 

E-mail: – cruises@navyhistory.au – Phone: 0451 218 336

80 places available

Category:

Description

A comprehensive commentary is provided supported by information and photos on TVs to bring the commentary to life.

The places you will see and learn about include:

Dawes Point. The story of the observatory built by Lt William Dawes and the construction of the gun battery.

Sydney Cove. The story of Fort Macquarie and the Navy activities to protect ships and the colony after the arrival of the first fleet.

Garden Island. The first use of Garden Island as a garden and its later development. The construction of the Captain Cook Graving Dock was second largest project after the Snowy Mountain Scheme and larger than the construction of the Harbour bridge.  The story of the hammerhead crane and the role of HMAS KUTTABUL. The decision in 1987 to establish two Navy bases – Fleet Base East and Fleet Base West to cover both the Pacific and Indian oceans.

HMAS RUSHCUTTER. One of the oldest RAN shore bases, commissioned in 1920. A Naval Reserve training facility for anti-submarine warfare, diving, and radar.

Clark Island. The storage of gun barrels during WW II. The Japanese midget submarines were also brought here after they were salvaged.

Rose Bay. The story of HMAS TINGIRA that trained over 3,000 sailors from 1912 to 1927.

Watson’s Bay. HMAS WATSON the training centre for maritime warfare. Watson’s Bay was the home base for pilot boats and the lifeboat over the years.

Georges Head. The location of the western end of the anti-submarine boom net during WW II.

Chowder Bay. The base to protect the Harbour with mines during the 1880’s. Now a fuel installation for the RAN.

Bradley’s Head. Ships were degaussed here during WW II to protect them against magnetic mines. The story of our first battle and first victory involving HMAS SYDNEY I and the SMS EMDEN.

Neutral Bay – Sub Base Platypus. Home of the six OBERON class submarines for 30 years and the torpedo factory established during WW2. The current COLLINS class submarines are based at Garden Island off Rockingham in Western Australia.

A complementary booklet with lots of information and photos is provided as a souvenir.

Tour Co-ordinator Contact: – E-mail: – cruises@navyhistory.au – Phone: 0451 218 336

Departure Point: King Street Wharf 3, Darling Harbour, Sydney NSW [View on google maps]

Cruise Date: – Friday 2nd. April 2025

Check-in Time:  09:30am.          Boarding Time: 09:45am. for 10:00am. departure

End Time:  1:00pm

Access: Ferry to Barangaroo or Train and walk from Wynyard or Town Hall Stations.

Detailed information will be emailed to you approximately 1 week prior to departure.

MORNING TEA A delicious two course morning tea of cold and hot food is served.
MORNING TEA
A delicious two course morning tea of cold and hot food is served.
MORNING TEAA delicious two course morning tea of cold and hot food is served.
MORNING TEA A delicious two course morning tea of cold and hot food is served.

Feedback from people on a previous cruise resulted in 50% rating the cruise as excellent in all respects with a further 20% rating it as very good in all respects. The morning tea rated the highest with a rating of 64% excellent. 97% of the people on board would recommend the cruise to family and friends. Comments included “perfect at every level”, “very enjoyable and informative” and “wonderful experience”.

As this event is being conducted by the Naval Historical Society of Australia the cruise can only proceed if sufficient tickets are sold to cover boat charter costs. In the most unlikely event that sufficient tickets are not sold, a decision will be made 14 days prior to the event on whether to proceed or not. Naturally all concerned will be advised and a full refund will be made to ticket holders if a negative decision is made.

Tour Co-ordinator Contact: –E-mail: – cruises@navyhistory.au – Phone: 0451 218 336

Ticket Cancellation Policy

30 days or more – Full refund of ticket value
30 -15 days – 75 % of ticket value
14 – 7 days – 50% of ticket value
Less than 7 days – no refund