| Career | |
|---|---|
| Name: | Lucinda |
| Owner: | Queensland Government (1884-1923) Evans, Anderson Phelan Pty Ltd Riverside Coal Transport Company |
| Laid down: | Yard No. 292 |
| Launched: | 1884 |
| General characteristics | |
| Type: | Paddle yacht |
| Tonnage: | 301 gross tons 148 net register tonnage |
| Length: | 172.6 ft (53 m) |
| Beam: | 25.1 ft (8 m) |
| Propulsion: | C2cy 112hp paddle |
The Lucinda was a Queensland Government owned, 301 ton paddle steamer built by William Denny and Brothers, Dumbarton, Scotland in 1884.[1]
She was used in various capacities during her years of service. Perhaps her most notable role was in 1891 when a small party including the then Queensland Premier Sir Samuel Griffith, South Australian Charles Kingston and Sir Edmund Barton was commissioned to draw up a draft constitution for the Commonwealth of Australia on a cruise up the Hawkesbury River which took place aboard the Lucinda.[2]
The Lucinda was used at one time as a mail vessel for delivering mail up and down the Queensland coast. At that time she was largely captained by Captain James South who notably used South Passage in Moreton Bay to cut hours off the mail route. This is how South Passage came to be named.
The Lucinda became coal lighter for the Riverside Coal Transport Company in 1923 until it ended its service in May 1932. The vessel was then laid to rest on the south east side of Bishop Island at the mouth of the Brisbane River. Sadly, this area has since been covered over due to the expansion of the Port of Brisbane.[1]