“Flood tide” is the meaning of Baragoola. It is an Australian Aboriginal word. I want to share the story about the Banool homestead.
Banool stands on the Rock Flat Creek in south New South Wales. This Banool is about 110km south of Canberra. Sydney is about 320km northeast of Banool.
At about 818m above sea level, Banool is a high homestead. Cooma is the nearest town to Banool. It is 7.6km away. Cooma has a population of around 6,900.
Let’s talk about another place. The ferry Baragoola once sailed here in Sydney. It operated on the Manly service. The Port Jackson & Manly Steamship Company built it.
Baragoola was the last of the Binngarra-type Manly ferries. It began service in 1922. The ferry had a triple-expansion steam engine. It changed to diesel-electric power in 1961.
After 1983, Baragoola had owners who wanted to restore it. But in January 2022, it sank. The decision was then made to scrap the vessel.
Mort’s Dock built the Baragoola at its Balmain yard. Mrs. Hunter McPherson launched it on 14 February 1922. She was the wife of the company’s chairman.
Baragoola cost £80,000. It was more expensive than earlier ferries. The rising cost of Australian-built ships led to ordering vessels from the United Kingdom.
The Baragoola was 498 tons. It was 60.7 meters long. It had a three-cylinder steam engine. During trials, it reached 14.7 knots. People called it “slow boat”. This was because it was shorter and wider than other ferries.
The Baragoola could carry many passengers. It carried 1,218 in summer and 926 in winter. After enclosing the upper decks, it carried 1,523 passengers. The ferry had a Ladies Saloon. It also had a smoking saloon.
Electro-hydraulic steering replaced the chain steering after World War II. In 1961, diesel-electric engines replaced the steam engines. The new engines allowed it to reach 16 knots.
Baragoola had several collisions. In 1926, it collided with the Kosciusko. In 1927, it ran down a lifeboat. In 1934, it struck and killed a whale.
The open upper deck was enclosed in 1931/2. Between March and August 1939, Baragoola became an oil burner.
In 1972, Brambles bought the Port Jackson & Manly Steamship Company. The NSW State Government took over the Manly service in 1974. In 1983, Baragoola was withdrawn from service.
Bob Hyde bought Baragoola to use as a university. This never happened. David Ashton bought it in 1988. In 2003, it moved to the Coal Loader in Balls Head Bay.
Adrian Thompson considered scrapping the vessel in 2009. In 2010, the Baragoola Preservation Association bought it. They wanted to restore it.
In 2010, an army training damaged the vessel. On 1 January 2022, the ferry sank. It was scrapped.
Birdon Pty Limited salvaged Baragoola. They cut it into sections. They removed the sections from the site.
The story of Banool and Baragoola highlights different aspects of Australian history. Banool stands as a testament to rural life. Baragoola reminds us of Sydney’s maritime past.