#OnThisDay 5 October 1789 the convict built ship, the Rose Hill Packet, was launched. The Rose Hill Packet was the first vessel built in Australia and it weighed 12 tons, earning it the nickname of 'the Lump'. It operated a ferry service between Sydney Cove and Parramatta, taking up to four days to sail up the river. This service did not survive past 1800.
Source: The Dictionary of Sydney. (2008). Rose Hill Packet
Over 4000 digitised glass plate negatives from the Maritime Services Board (MSB) are available to browse and download in our catalogue, Collection Search. The images date from 1870 to 1960 and show Sydney Harbour as a working harbour and a centre of work and industry as well as a place of natural beauty. We highlight some of these images in the gallery.
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