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Captain Cook Cruises (Australia) facts for kids

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Not to be confused with Captain Cook Cruises (Western Australia).
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Captain Cook Cruises
Founded 26 January 1970
Founder Trevor Haworth
Headquarters Darling Harbour,
Sydney
,
Australia
Area served
 Sydney Harbour
Murray River
Swan River
Services Restaurant, river/harbour cruise & ferry operator
Parent SeaLink Travel Group

Captain Cook Cruises is an Australian company that runs fun boat trips! They have many boats, offering ferry rides, sightseeing tours, dinner cruises, and special event charters on Sydney Harbour. As of 2018, they operated 21 boats in Sydney.

How it Started

Lady Geraldine
The Lady Geraldine in 1978

Captain Cook Cruises began on January 26, 1970, in Sydney. A man named Trevor Haworth founded the company. He named it after James Cook, a famous explorer. James Cook was the first European to explore the east coast of Australia in 1770.

The first boat was called the Captain Cook. It was a changed 1943 military boat. At first, the company offered special boat hires. Then, on May 1, 1970, they started regular cruises. These trips went from Circular Quay to Middle Harbour. Later, they added trips along the Lane Cove River and Parramatta River.

Captain Cook 2
The Captain Cook II

In 1975, a new boat, the Captain Cook II, was built. More boats followed, like the Lady Geraldine in 1978 and the City of Sydney in 1981. The company also bought other boat businesses. This helped them grow and offer more trips. For example, they bought the John Cadman Cruising Restaurant in 1984.

Captain Cook Cruises expanded beyond Sydney. In 1987, they started trips on the Hawkesbury River. In 1988, they bought a business that operated on the Murray River. This included the famous paddle steamer Murray Princess.

Later, the company even started trips in Fiji in 1992. They bought Tivua Island, a beautiful island for day cruises. In 2011, Captain Cook Cruises became part of the SeaLink Travel Group.

Cruises in Sydney

MV Elizabeth Cook
The MV Elizabeth Cook in Sydney Harbour, 2013
Jillian, Circular Quay, 2017 (01)
The Jillian approaching Circular Quay, 2017
Sydney 2000, Circular Quay, 2017 (02)
The Sydney 2000 cruise ship
Cockle Bay, Circular Quay, 2018 (01)
The Cockle Bay ferry

Captain Cook Cruises runs many ferry services in Sydney. These boats connect different parts of Sydney Harbour. They go to places like Darling Harbour, Barangaroo, Circular Quay, Watsons Bay, and Manly. They also go along the Lane Cove River and to the White Bay Cruise Terminal.

Hop On Hop Off Services

Some services are "Hop On Hop Off" (HOHO) tours. This means you can get off the boat at different stops. You can explore the area and then get back on a later boat.

  • Shark Island and Zoo Express
  • These services visit Shark Island and Taronga Zoo.
  • They usually run during school holidays.
  • City Loop
  • White Bay
  • This service only runs when cruise ships are at the White Bay terminal.
  • Watsons Bay
  • This is a regular ferry service between Watsons Bay and Circular Quay.
  • Lane Cove River
  • This service goes to many stops along the Lane Cove River. These include Jeffrey Street, Kirribilli, Greenwich Point, and St Ignatius' College, Riverview.

The Fleet: Captain Cook's Boats

Captain Cook Cruises has many different boats. Each boat is designed for various types of trips. Some are ferries, others are for dining, and some are for longer cruises. Here are some of the boats they have used:

Name Builder Year built Notes
Captain Cook I 1943 A former military boat, later sold to Fiji.
Captain Cook II Carrington Slipways, Tomago 1975
Lady Geraldine Millkraft Shipyards, Hemmant 1978 Named after the founder's wife.
City of Sydney Sims Engineering, Port Chalmers 1981
John Cadman 1970 Purchased in 1984, later sold.
John Cadman II Carrington Slipways, Tomago 1986
Lady Hawkesbury Carrington Slipways, Tomago 1987 Moved to the Great Barrier Reef and renamed Reef Escape.
Murray River Queen Hindmarsh Island 1974 A boat from the Murray River, purchased in 1988.
Murray Princess Hindmarsh Island 1986 A famous paddle steamer from the Murray River.
Reef Endeavour Government Shipyard, Suva 1995 Used for cruises in Fiji.
Sydney 2000 Austal, Perth 1998 A large and well-known cruise ship.
Elizabeth Cook Richardson Devine Marine, Hobart 2013 Named after Elizabeth Batts Cook.
Mary Reibey Richardson Devine Marine, Hobart 2014 Named after Mary Reibey.
Annabelle Rankin Richardson Devine Marine, Hobart 2014 Named after Annabelle Rankin.
Violet McKenzie Richardson Devine Marine, Hobart 2015 Named after Violet McKenzie.
Cockle Bay Richardson Devine Marine, Hobart 2016 Named after Cockle Bay.
Blackwattle Bay Richardson Devine Marine, Hobart 2016 Named after Blackwattle Bay.
Nancy Wake Aluminium Marine, Thornlands 2017 Named after Nancy Wake.
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