Saturday, April 30, 2011

former Sydney ferry in Tasmania


The former Sydney harbour ferry Kosciuscko is seen on the Derwent River leaving the Elizabeth Street Pier for Bellerive, Hobart, in 1975.

The hire of Sydney ferries for this crossing was necessitated by the damage caused to the Tasman Bridge in the evening of 5 January 1975 when a bulk ore carrier travelling up the Derwent River collided with several pylons of the bridge causing a large section of the bridge deck to collapse onto the ship and into the river below. Twelve people were killed, including seven crew on board the ship, and the five occupants of four cars which fell 45 metres (150 feet) after driving off the bridge. The disaster severed the main link between Hobart and its eastern suburbs.  The repaired bridge wasn't opened until 8 October 1977.

Kosciuscko is also the name of the highest mountain in Australia, 2,228 metres (7,310 ft) above sea level.

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