Auslan tour - Kara Kara EngineAuslan tour - Kara Kara Engine 

Before the Sydney Harbour Bridge was built, how did people travel from the north shore to the city? The answer – they travelled by ferry!

The 1920s were the golden age of ferry transport in Sydney. In 1926, Sydney Ferries transported 44 million passengers.

This engine is from Kara Kara, the last and largest vehicular ferry in Sydney. Kara Kara was used to carry cars and passengers from Milson’s Point (in Sydney’s north) to the site of the Sydney Opera House or Bennelong Point. It could carry 50 vehicles and 250 passengers.

The Sydney Harbour Bridge opened on 19 March 1932, so the Kara Kara ferry was no longer needed. However, during World War Two, the Kara Kara ferry was requisitioned by the Royal Australian Navy and transformed into a boom defence vessel. To protect a harbour from enemy submarines, two boom defence vessels are placed on either side of the harbour mouth, with a net suspended between them in the water.

On the 19 February 1942, during the bombing of Darwin, Kara Kara was attached to the western gate of Darwin Harbour. Kara Kara escaped a direct hit, but 14 bombs landed in the water around the vessel. Sadly, two crew members were fatally wounded during this raid.

The Kara Kara engine is 5.9m long, 3.9m high and weighs 48 tonnes. This engine is still operational. When it is running it makes a slow mechanical whirring hum, with an occasional soft hiss from the air pump. It is reminiscent of the soft gentle breathing before you fall asleep.

Have you taken a Sydney ferry? What did you see? How did it feel?

There are other modes of transport on display at the museum. Try to find them!