Bass Strait Ferries - have been the ships that have been used for regular transport across Bass Strait

Bass Strait

Bass Strait is a sea strait separating Tasmania from the south of the Australian mainland, specifically the state of Victoria.-Extent:The International Hydrographic Organization defines the limits of the Bass Strait as follows:...

 between Tasmania

Tasmania

Tasmania is an Australian island and state. It is south of the continent, separated by Bass Strait. The state includes the island of Tasmania—the 26th largest island in the world—and the surrounding islands. The state has a population of 507,626 , of whom almost half reside in the greater Hobart...

 and Victoria (Australia)

Victoria (Australia)

Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....

, as well as the various attempts to link Tasmania with Sydney. Historically, some regular shipping services in the twentieth century linked Sydney, Melbourne and Hobart, with the Bass Strait ports: Launceston's various port locations, Devonport and Burnie. The distinction between coastal shipping and Bass Strait ferry has been blurred at times.

At various stages the cost of shipping between Tasmania and the Australian mainland have caused enquiries and calls for subsidies or reduced rates of both ferries and general shipping

Tasmanian Steamers Pty Ltd commenced in 1921 with three ships. The Oonah (originally on the Sydney-Hobart route) was operated along with Loongana and Nairana until 1935 when Oonah and Loongana were replaced by the Taroona.

In 1959 the Australian National Line took over the service, and from 1959 to 1972, the Princess of Tasmania made crossings between Melbourne and Devonport. The cargo-only Bass Trader carried heavy vehicles from Melbourne to Tasmania until the Australian Trader was added in 1969 with services from Melbourne to Burnie, Devonport

Devonport, Tasmania

-Sport:The Devonport Football Club is an Australian Rules team competing in the Tasmanian Statewide League. The Devonport Rugby Club is a Rugby Union team competing in the Tasmanian Rugby Union Statewide League...

 and Bell Bay

Bell Bay, Tasmania

Bell Bay is an industrial centre and port located on the eastern shore of the Tamar River, in northern Tasmania, Australia. It lies just south of George Town.- Industry :It hosts an aluminium smelter and a power station.- Transport :...

 (Launceston) in rotation.

From 1965 to 1972, the Empress of Australia

Empress of Australia

"Royal Pacific" redirects here. For the hotel at Universal Resorts, see Universal Orlando Resort.The Empress of Australia was a ferry which was operated by the Australian National Lines. She sailed on Bass Strait between Melbourne, Victoria and Devonport, Tasmania until 1985. The ship had...

 made three crossings per fortnight from Sydney to Hobart, Bell Bay and Burnie. In 1972 the Empress replaced the Princess on the Melbourne to Devonport route and the Australian Trader moved to the Sydney-Tasmania routes.

The Tasmanian Government's TT-Line

TT-Line (Australia)

TT-Line Company Pty. Ltd. is a company operating ferries from Tasmania to the mainland of Australia since 1985. The company was separated from the department of Transport Tasmania in 1993, becoming a government business enterprise wholly owned by the Government of Tasmania.- 1985-1992 :TT-Line was...

 took over the service from 1985 when the Abel Tasman

Abel Tasman

Abel Janszoon Tasman was a Dutch seafarer, explorer, and merchant, best known for his voyages of 1642 and 1644 in the service of the VOC . His was the first known European expedition to reach the islands of Van Diemen's Land and New Zealand and to sight the Fiji islands...

 replaced the Empress and made six weekly overnight crossings between Devonport and Melbourne. It was replaced by the Spirit of Tasmania

Spirit of Tasmania (first ship)

MS Princess Seaways is a cruiseferry operated and owned by the Danish shipping company DFDS Seaways on a route connecting Newcastle, England to IJmuiden in the Netherlands. She was built in 1986 as MS Peter Pan by Schichau Unterweser, Bremerhaven, Germany for TT-Line...

 in 1993.

In the summer months of 1998 to 2002, TT-Line in conjunction with SeaCat Tasmania, also operated the high speed catamaran Devil Cat between Melbourne and George Town

George Town, Tasmania

George Town is one of the larger towns in north-east Tasmania, on the eastern bank of the mouth of the Tamar River. At the 2006 census, George Town had a population of 4,266. It is the regional centre of the George Town Council Local Government Area....

 near Bell Bay. The trip took 6 hours.

In 2002 the Spirit was replaced with the two ferries previously owned by Superfast Ferries

Superfast Ferries

Superfast Ferries is a Greece-based ferry company founded in 1993 by Pericles Panagopulos and Alexander Panagopulos. Superfast Ferries is a member of Attica Group and operates 5 ultra-modern car-passenger ferries, offering daily connections between Ancona and Bari and Patras and Igoumenitsa...

 – Spirit of Tasmania I and Spirit of Tasmania II, with two crossings each night leaving simultaneously from Melbourne and Devonport.

From January 2004 to June 2006 a third ship, Spirit of Tasmania III, operated on the Devonport to Sydney route.

There are also a ferry services from Bridport, Tasmania to Flinders Island and Port Welshpool, Victoria.

Known ferry ships

(chronological)

• Black Swan, Royal Shepherd, Havilah and Derwent (1850'to 1870's)
• Mangana and flinders (1879 +
• Pateena, Flor and Penguin (1880's)
• Burrumbeet (1889 +)
• SS Coogee (1890's)
• SS Pateena
• Rotomahana
• City of Melbourne
• SS Oonah
• SS Loongana
  SS Loongana
  SS Loongana was a Bass Strait passenger ship owned by Tasmanian Steamers Pty Ltd.. In service between 1904-1934 it was the first ship with turbine propulsion....
  
  
• SS Nairana
• SS Taroona
• MS Princess of Tasmania
• MS Bass Trader
• MS Empress of Australia
  Empress of Australia
  "Royal Pacific" redirects here. For the hotel at Universal Resorts, see Universal Orlando Resort.The Empress of Australia was a ferry which was operated by the Australian National Lines. She sailed on Bass Strait between Melbourne, Victoria and Devonport, Tasmania until 1985. The ship had...
  
  
• MS Australian Trader
• MS Abel Tasman
• MS Spirit of Tasmania
  Spirit of Tasmania (first ship)
  MS Princess Seaways is a cruiseferry operated and owned by the Danish shipping company DFDS Seaways on a route connecting Newcastle, England to IJmuiden in the Netherlands. She was built in 1986 as MS Peter Pan by Schichau Unterweser, Bremerhaven, Germany for TT-Line...
  
  
• HSC Devil Cat
• MS Spirit of Tasmania I
• MS Spirit of Tasmania II
• MS Spirit of Tasmania III

External links

• http://users.nex.net.au/~reidgck/bass-s.htm Bass Strait Passenger Ships and Passenger/Vehicle Ferries