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MV MOONTA, Adelaide Steamship Company, ashtray.

Maker Adelaide Steamship Company Limited (1875 - 1977)

Date1931-1955

Object number00007225

NameAshtray

MediumMetal

DimensionsOverall: 20 x 110 x 105 mm

ClassificationsTableware and furnishings

Credit LineANMM Collection

Terms

DescriptionThis ashtray was collected as a souvenir from MV MOONTA, a passenger liner within the Adelaide Steamship Company's passenger fleet. Each week MOONTA operated South Australia's famous Gulf Trip cruise.HistoryMV MOONTA was built by Burmeister and Wain of Copenhagen. 2 736 tonnes, length 88 metres. MOONTA carried 95 000 passengers in 24 years of service on the Gulf Trip. The Gulf Trip was an important part of South Australian maritime history from 1906 to 1955. It appealed to many as a fairly cheap way to experience a romantic sea cruise, and to others as an ideal family holiday. MOONTA was sold and renamed LYDIA. It now operates as a disco and restaurant in the south of France. The Adelaide Steamship Company was founded in 1857 when a group of businessmen saw the opportunity to capitalise on the Adelaide to Melbourne shipping route. Two ships were ordered from England and the company soon established itself on the coastal shipping scene. Over time, the Adelaide Steamship Company extended its routes around Australia, bought out other companies, expanded its fleet and eventually became one of Australia's most powerful and enduring shipping concerns.SignificanceThis ashtray is a good example of the types of souvenirs produced for and used aboard passenger vessels in the 20th century, on the Australian route.