SPIRIT OF AUSTRALIA
Date1972-1974
Object number00000003
NameHydroplane
MediumPlywood, fibreglass, wood, paint
DimensionsOverall: 1080 x 8230 x 2440 mm, 1524 kg
Vessel Dimensions: 8.22 m × 2.37 m (26.97 ft × 7.78 ft)
ClassificationsVessels and fittings
Credit LineANMM Collection Purchased with the assistance of Speedo Group Ltd
DescriptionSPIRIT OF AUSTRALIA is an Australian designed and built jet-powered, wooden, 3-point hydroplane that has held the world water-speed record since 1977. Conceived, constructed and trialled by Ken Warby, SPIRIT OF AUSTRALIA broke both the 300 m/h and 500 km/h barriers and raised the world record to 511.11km/h in 1978 at Blowering Dam near Tumut, New South Wales.
This was the first object acquired into the National Maritime Collection, via the Commonwealth Government in April 1986.HistoryKen Warby, SPIRIT OF AUSTRALIA's designer, builder and driver, achieved his world water-speed records on a shoestring budget. The boat was built over two years in the backyard of his suburban Sydney home, using stringers, brackets, stock bits of timber, plywood, screws and epoxy, and launched in 1974.
Warby first claimed the world record in 1977, taking his home-made hydroplane to a speed of 464.44 km/h and breaking American Lee Taylor's ten-year-old record of 458.98 km/h. But where Lee Taylor's record had cost close to $1 million in 1967, Warby built his boat in a suburban backyard with a military-surplus jet engine that cost $65. In 1978 he returned to Blowering Dam in the southern highlands of New South Wales and pushed his record to 511.11 km/h (317.68 m/h), where it still stands.
Warby was awarded an MBE (Member of the British Empire) in recognition of his achievement. More information about SPIRIT OF AUSTRALIA's construction, configuration and condition can be found on the Australian Register of Historic Vessels www.anmm.gov.au/arhv.SignificanceSPIRIT OF AUSTRALIA has held the world water-speed record for over thirty years. It is one of the few surviving examples of a speed record-holder, and was designed and built in Australia by its driver Ken Warby MBE.
