Dunwich ferry terminal. Photo courtesy of Queensland Places.
Locals of the Moreton Bay Islands have celebrated the 60th anniversary (traditionally the diamond anniversary) of what is now SeaLink, the ferry service that connects the islands and the mainland with a fleet of vehicle and passenger ferries.
The history of the Moreton Bay Islands is a fascinating meld of unbroken Indigenous occupation, white settlement, business development, sand mining, ecology and culturally-based tourism – and keeping them all connected are the ferries. The first vehicle ferry, Stradbroke Ferries’ MV Myora (the name of the local mission) came into service in 1964.
Stradbroke Ferries was the brainchild of Frank Dobias, who came to Australia at the age of 23 in 1948. He had escaped from a Russian prison, where he was incarcerated while fleeing from his native Czechoslovakia to Germany. By the time he was 38 he was established on Minjerribah (North Stradbroke Island), and by 1961 he was running the Dunwich service station (which he built), the buses that connected the Island’s three townships and the first island taxi.
Developing transportation with the Tazi sand mining company led to Frank’s co-founding Stradbroke Ferries – which was then purchased by Transit Systems in 2011 and nine years ago became SeaLink, naming some of the vessels in its fleet in the local Jandai language.
Frank Dobias Jnr., the founder’s son, remembers a childhood of beaches, trucks, a hard-working father and a horse named Swagman. “I was a babe in trucks,” he recalls.
“Kids on the mainland would be impressed by the size of Mack trucks but to me they were just like our family car. When dad went to work at night I’d go off my nut if he didn’t take me – and I’d be asleep on the seat by the time we got to the end of the street.
“I was nine when the Myora first landed at Dunwich, the whole town was there to meet it. I wouldn’t change that childhood for the world.”
At a celebratory exhibition in the Island’s museum, Heather Truman, who retired in April last year after a 22-year career with SeaLink, initially as Marketing Manager and for the last six years as General Manager, paid tribute to those who had contributed to the Island’s history and growth and to the vital role that SeaLink had played.
“It has now been 60 years since the vehicle ferry Myora made her first voyage from Redland Bay to Dunwich carrying 12 cars and eighteen passengers. There have been many challenges over the past six decades – including the impact of COVID – however Stradbroke Ferries, now SeaLink, has been a lifeline for the Minjerribah and southern Moreton Bay Island communities, businesses and visitors,” she said.
The exhibition brought together a rich collection of memorabilia – and anecdotes. Heather recounted a story about one of the SeaLink fleet, the Moongalba (sitting place), that could indicate how keen SeaLink ferries are to be on the job.
“When the Moongalba was built at Index Shipyard at Lytton the crew arrived there the morning that she was due to be launched – only to find that she had launched herself the night before and was sitting on the opposite bank!”
In recognition of the current General Manager, Ben Renwick, Heather foresees a bright future for SeaLink.
“So, what will the next 40 years bring? I have no doubt that SeaLink is committed to continuing the long-standing relationship with the communities. I can only hope that in 40 years’ time that someone is standing here showcasing the one-hundred-year history and outstanding achievements of this exceptional company.”
