Art at the Sydney Royal Easter Show

Sydney Heritage Fleet’s Maritime Records and Research Centre Curator, Bill Bourke, is an artist in his spare time.

At the 2017 Sydney Royal Easter Show Bill exhibited a recent painting of much-loved but laid-up Manly ferry, South Steyne. Based on photographs by Bill Allen, who knows more about Sydney’s ferries than most people, South Steyne is depicted in Berrys Bay on the northern shore of Sydney Harbour. She has been laid-up there since being forced to leave her berth in Cockle Bay, where South Steyne operated as a floating restaurant and function centre.

Bill Bourke’s painting of South Steyne in Berrys Bay, Sydney, based on photographs by Bill Allen

The future of one of Sydney’s icons is by no means assured although there is an aim to incorporate South Steyne in the proposed Maritime Heritage Precinct being developed by the Australian National Maritime Museum in partnership with Sydney Heritage Fleet.