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SOPHIA JANE
SOPHIA JANE

SOPHIA JANE

Maker
Subject or historical figure (English, 1790 - 1861)
Datec 1937
Object number00018501
NameModel
MediumWood, metal, wire, cotton, varnish
DimensionsOverall: 375 x 740 x 200 mm, 4.1 kg
ClassificationsModels
Credit LineANMM Collection
DescriptionA model of the paddle steamer SOPHIA JANE made by Captain Robert Gardiner. The vessel, a two masted single funnel paddle steamer, was the first steam driven vessel to arrive in the country in 1831 commanded by Captain Edward Biddulph, RN. HistoryCaptain Robert Gardiner, a New Zealand born sailor, was retired and around 70 years old when he made this 'waterline' model at his guesthouse 'Lakeview' at Wangi, Lake Macquarie in the late 1930s. He based the model on research on the SOPHIA JANE and made the model in the guesthouse shed. Robert Studdart was 10 years old when he visited 'Lakeview' with his family and began helping Gardiner with the model. He remembered getting tar off the road to use for parcelling on the rigging. His mother's sewing box provided the beads fir the blocks and Mrs Gardiner supplied the cotton for the rigging. All the planks were hand planed, with tiny brass nails. Anchors and bollards were cast in lead, and the ratlines were made from wire, all soldered. An assortment of timber was used with the paddle castings made from cedar. The SOPHIA JANE was a significant vessel as it was the first steamship in Australian waters, arriving from England in 1831. The vessel was sailed by Captain Edward Biddulph to Australia as a schooner with the paddle wheel strapped to the main deck and later installed on its arrival in Sydney. Originally built in England in 1826 by Barnes and Miller for the coastal and French passenger trade, SOPHIA JANE was a 150-ton vessel with 50 horsepower engines. It was bought for the Australian coastal run between Sydney, Newcastle and Morpeth and operated for about ten years and was finally broken up in 1842. SignificanceThe SOPHIA JANE was the first steamship in Australian waters and has particular relevance for the port of Newcastle and the north coast of Sydney.

A memorial plaque to the SOPHIA JANE is located in Morpeth and reads:

"This tablet commemorates the voyage of the S.S. SOPHIA JANE from Sydney to Morpeth on 12th June 1831, establishing the first steam powered sea going service in Australian waters.
The vessel arrived in the Colony from England on 17 May 1831."