Kirrule-type ferry
Kiandra as built, in her original livery | |
| History | |
|---|---|
| Name | Kiandra, Kirrule and Kubu |
| Operator | Sydney Ferries Limited Sydney Harbour Transport Board |
| Port of registry | Sydney |
| Builder | Morrison & Sinclair Ltd, at Balmain |
| Cost | Kirrule: £16,415, Kiandra: £17,087, and Kubu: £17,138. |
| Launched | Kirrule 1910, Kiandra 1911, Kubu 1912 |
| Out of service | Kirrule and Kiandra 1951, Kubu 1959 |
| Identification | Kubu: O/N 131525 |
| General characteristics | |
| Tonnage | 258 tonnes |
| Length | 42.7 m |
| Beam | 9.2 m |
| Propulsion | 60hp triple-expansion steam. |
| Capacity | 1072, 1080, 1010 |
The Kirrule-type ferries (or Kubu-class) - Kiandra, Kirrule and Kubu - were three identical K-class ferries that operated on Sydney Harbour by Sydney Ferries Limited.
The three steam ferries were built in 1910, 1911 and 1912 at the height of the boom in ferry traffic across Sydney Harbour prior to the opening of the Sydney Harbour Bridge. They were the second largest type of inner harbour vessels and built for the rapidly increasing North Shore demand.
Sydney Ferries Limited generally choose Australian Aboriginal names for the early twentieth "K-class" steamers. "Kiandra" is a corruption of Aboriginal 'Gianderra' for 'sharp stones for knives' and a town in NSW. Kirrule is thought to mean 'aroused', and 'Kubu' "oak tree".