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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
Services Restaurant, river/harbour cruise & ferry operator
Parent SeaLink Travel Group

Captain Cook Cruises is a company in Australia that offers fun boat trips. They operate many different boats on Sydney Harbour. These boats provide ferry services, sightseeing tours, dining experiences, and special charter cruises.

History of Captain Cook Cruises

Lady Geraldine
Lady Geraldine in 1978

Captain Cook Cruises started on January 26, 1970, in Port Jackson, Sydney. Their first boat was the Captain Cook. It was a changed 1943 Fairmile B motor launch. The company was started by Trevor Haworth. He named it after James Cook, who was the first European to explore the East Coast of Australia in 1770.

At first, the company offered special boat rentals. Then, on May 1, 1970, they began regular trips. These trips went from Circular Quay to Middle Harbour. In November 1971, they added a second trip. This new trip went along the Lane Cove and Parramatta Rivers, reaching as far as the Gladesville Bridge.

New Ships and Growth

Captain Cook 2
Captain Cook II

In August 1975, a new boat called Captain Cook II was launched. It was built especially for the company. Later, in August 1978, the Lady Geraldine was built. The City of Sydney followed in 1981. In 1978, the company sold its first marina and bought a new one in Neutral Bay.

In May 1984, Captain Cook Cruises bought the John Cadman Cruising Restaurant business. This added more dining cruises to their services. In 1987, they started trips on the Hawkesbury River and Pittwater with the Lady Hawkesbury boat. In November 1987, they bought Hegarty Ferries. This gave them special access to Wharf 6 at Circular Quay. They then ran ferry services to places like Jeffrey Street and Milsons Point. In May 1988, they bought Murray River Developments. This added the Murray River Queen and Murray Princess boats on the Murray River. They also got the Brisbane Explorer for the Brisbane River.

Expanding to Reefs and Islands

In 1991, Captain Cook Cruises began trips to the Great Barrier Reef. They worked with Qantas on this. A new ship, the MV Reef Endeavour, was ordered. But because of building problems, the Lady Hawkesbury was moved from the Hawkesbury River to the Great Barrier Reef in July 1992. It was renamed the Reef Escape. The Brisbane Explorer was then moved to the Hawkesbury River and became the Hawkesbury Explorer II. The Reef Endeavour finally started service in 1995.

In 1992, the company started operations in Fiji. They bought Tivua Island, which is about 18 kilometers off the coast of Port Denarau. They began offering day trips to the island. The Reef Escape was moved from the Great Barrier Reef to Fiji in 1995. It then started offering longer cruises through the Yasawa and Mamanuca Islands.

On January 7, 2003, the old Hegarty ferry routes stopped. In November 2005, Captain Cook Cruises bought Matilda Cruises. This added 11 more boats to their fleet. In 2011, Captain Cook Cruises was bought by the SeaLink Travel Group.

Sydney Services

Captain Cook Cruises runs many ferry services in Sydney. They connect places like Sydney Harbour, Darling Harbour, Barangaroo, Circular Quay, Watsons Bay, Manly, the Lane Cove River, and White Bay.

Hop On Hop Off Services

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

The Shark Island and Zoo Express are part of the Hop On Hop Off (HOHO) services. These services also stop at Watsons Bay and Manly. These services resumed during the school holidays on December 19, 2020, after the COVID-19 Pandemic.

The City Loop (Darling Harbour/Barangaroo), Luna Park, and Fort Denison services have also resumed.

  • City Loop
  • Shark Island
  • Circular Quay West
  • Shark Island
  • Zoo Express
  • Circular Quay West
  • Taronga Zoo
  • White Bay
  • This service only runs when cruise ships are at White Bay.
  • Darling Harbour
  • White Bay
  • Watsons Bay
  • A regular service between Watsons Bay and Circular Quay started on March 23, 2015.
  • Lane Cove River
  • Circular Quay West
  • Jeffrey Street
  • Kirribilli
  • Birchgrove
  • Greenwich Point
  • Bay Street, Greenwich
  • Northwood
  • Longueville
  • Alexandra Street, Hunters Hill
  • St Ignatius' College, Riverview

Captain Cook Cruises Vessels

Name Builder Year built Notes
Captain Cook I 1943 A former Fairmile B motor launch called Daydream II. It was later sold to Fiji and renamed Stardust II.
Captain Cook II Carrington Slipways, Tomago 1975
Corsair Bought second-hand in 1976.
Lady Geraldine Millkraft Shipyards, Hemmant 1978 Named after Trevor Haworth's wife.
City of Sydney Sims Engineering, Port Chalmers 1981
John Cadman 1970 Bought with the John Cadman Cruising Restaurant business in May 1984. It was rebuilt from a burnt hull of Lady Scott. Later sold as Harbour Queen.
John Cadman II Carrington Slipways, Tomago 1986
Leura Bought with Hegarty Ferries in November 1987. Sold in 2003. Named after Leura.
Seeka Star 1940 Bought with Hegarty Ferries in November 1987. Sold in 2003.
Twin Star 1972 Bought with Hegarty Ferries in November 1987. Sold in 2003.
Lady Hawkesbury Carrington Slipways, Tomago 1987 Moved from the Hawkesbury River to the Great Barrier Reef and renamed Reef Escape in July 1992.
Murray River Queen Hindmarsh Island 1974 Bought with Murray River Developments in May 1988. Sold in 1993.
Murray Princess Hindmarsh Island 1986 Bought with Murray River Developments in May 1988.
Brisbane Explorer Bought with Murray River Developments in May 1988. Moved from the Brisbane River to the Hawkesbury River and renamed Hawkesbury Explorer II.
John Cadman III Carrington Slipways, Tomago 1989
Captain Cook III Wavemaster, Fremantle 1990
Reef Endeavour Government Shipyard, Suva 1995
Sydney 2000 Austal, Perth 1998
Alice Norman R Wright & Sons, Bulimba 1996 Bought with Matilda Cruises in November 2005.
Jillian Norman R Wright & Sons, Bulimba 1996 Bought with Matilda Cruises in November 2005.
Megan Norman R Wright & Sons, Bulimba 1996 Bought with Matilda Cruises in November 2005.
Elizabeth Cook Richardson Devine Marine, Hobart 2013 Named after Elizabeth 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.
Capricorn Sunrise Aluminium Boats Australia, Hemmant 2011 Moved from Gladstone in November 2016.
Cockle Bay Richardson Devine Marine, Hobart 2016 Named after Cockle Bay. Leased to RiverCity Ferries from November 2020 to operate services on the Brisbane River.
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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