One of Redcliffe’s oldest residents lies rusting gently away in the waters below Woody Point. The dwindling pile of scrap that was the Gayundah gives no hint of the ship’s glory days or the busy and, at times, exciting life of this historic vessel.
One of two gunboats commissioned by the Queensland government – “as the nucleus of the future Queensland naval force” – she was launched at Newcastle-upon-Tyne in May 1884. With Commander Henry Wright at the helm, the Gayundah sailed for Australia, arriving in Brisbane on 27 March 1885, where she was described by an unenthusiastic Brisbane Courier writer as “a very ugly craft … a stumpy vessel … painted a greyish hue, broad in the beam, with a dirty yellow funnel”. He was more impressed by the two canaries singing in cages hanging from her upper deck.
Her unprepossessing appearance notwithstanding, the Gayundah served her purpose, patrolling up and down the Queensland coast without incident until 1887 when Commander Wright, a man with a complex financial history, was charged by the Queensland government with misappropriating government supplies. Wright took exception to this and threatened to turn the ship’s guns on the police sent to remove him from the vessel. Cooler heads prevailed and Wright was subsequently dismissed and left the colony.
Training Duties, Wartime Service and Final Rest
The Gayundah now began a quieter life as a training ship. In 1901, following federation, she was commissioned into the new Commonwealth Naval Force and in 1911, with the formation of the Royal Australian Navy, she became HMAS Gayundah.
In early 1914, she was sent to Cockatoo Island shipyard in Sydney for refurbishment, undergoing modernisation and improvements to crew accommodation. Later that year, back in Brisbane, with World War 1 paranoia at its height, she was the centre of “excitement in Moreton Bay”, as reported by the Brisbane Courier. A passenger ship departing Brisbane was suspected of harbouring a spy. When ordered to return to port, the liner failed to stop and the Gayundah was commanded to detain it by shooting across its bows. Her remaining wartime naval service – patrolling Moreton Bay and the east coast – was somewhat less combative.
After the war, with her naval life coming to an end, she was sold in 1921 to a Brisbane gravel company and used for haulage on the Brisbane River. She plodded on until the 1950s when she was sold again, this time for scrap. The Redcliffe City Council bought her in 1958 and here she lies, a sad relic of more interesting times.
Read more stories from our Redcliffe Guide print magazine here:
- What’s Hot Around Town
- Reddy Roundup: Updates from the Community
- My Preloved Wardrobe Becomes a Clontarf Hideaway
- Podcast Review: Podcast Review: Behind the B@stards
- Winter Family Movies
- Reflect And Recharge For A Meaningful Mid-Year Reset
- Organic Gardening in July
- Garden Show Plants Seeds for Family Fun
- Brad’s Business Tips
- Wonderland Awaits at the Library These School Holidays
- Blokes Book Club: Good Reads and Great Chats
- New Musical Comedy Cruises into Redcliffe
- Local Women’s Association Seeking Members
- Jetty2Jetty Welcomes First Marathon
- World’s First Joyologist is Now a Local
- Irene Brings Hope to the Homeless
- Indigenous Art Workshop For NAIDOC Week
- Street Feast Returns to Redcliffe
- Acclaimed Tribute Rock Show Coming to Redcliffe
