Enterprize (1829)

The topsail schooner, Enterprize, was built in Hobart in 1829 by William Pender. It was used for coastal transport of cargo such as coal, livestock, and supplies.

It is notable for being the tall ship that transported the first Europeans to establish a settlement on the banks of the Yarra River, that became the city of Melbourne. In April 1835, John Pascoe Fawkner purchased Enterprize to search for a suitable settlement site in the Port Phillip District. Initially a settlement was sort on Western Port and the eastern side of Port Phillip. On 15 August 1835, Enterprize entered the Yarra River, and settlers disembarked on 30 August 1835.

This was the first of several voyages transporting settlers, livestock and supplies from Tasmania to the new Port Phillip settlement.

The Enterprize continued trading as a coastal vessel. In 1845 she was wrecked on the bar of the Richmond River, with the loss of two lives.

To commemorate the establishment of Melbourne, a replica of the Enterprize was built between 1991 and 1997 for about $2.5 million. A dedicated team of craftsmen set to work constructing the vessel, the first square rigged commercial sailing ship to be built in Melbourne for over 120 years. The keel was laid at the Melbourne Maritime Museum in 1991, completed at Williamstown, and launched on Saturday 30 August, 1997 at Hobson’s Bay. The replica of the Enterprize is based at Williamstown and is available for charter.

See Also:

• History of Melbourne

Characteristics

• Overall length of 27 metres (88’6”)
• Beam of 5.4 metres (18’4”)
• Displacement of 68 tonnes.

External Link

Enterprize – Melbourne's Tall Ship