Discover Australia’s Earliest Ship Reconstruction On Board The Notorious Ship In Redcliffe

The Notorious Ship, Australia’s oldest reconstructed ship, will be open for public inspection as it returns to the Redcliffe Peninsula this April 2023.


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History buffs and maritime enthusiasts will not want to miss the rare opportunity to board and inspect the ship at Scarborough Boat Harbour Public Wharf on April 15 and 16.

It took Captain Graeme Wylie nine years to design and construct the impressive ship entirely on his own, culminating in the ship’s launch at Port Fairy, Victoria in 2011.

Photo credit: Notorious Ship/Facebook

During the event this April, visitors will have the chance to meet Captain Wylie and crew Felicite and Jebez Reitman. They will share stories of their recent voyages and adventures aboard the ship.

Notorious Ship
Photo credit: Notorious Ship/Facebook

The event will be open from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., with the last boarding at 2:45 p.m. Admission to the event is $4 for children and $6 for adults. This is a rare opportunity to experience the rich history of Australia’s maritime past and witness a remarkable feat of reconstruction and craftsmanship.

For more details, visit Notorious Ship’s Facebook page.

About Notorious 

Notorious Ship
Photo credit: CC BY-SA 3.0/Martyvis/Wikimedia Commons

Notorious is a sailing reconstruction of a timber Portuguese or Spanish caravel from 1480, a type of lightweight sailing ship that was widely employed throughout Europe from the 15th to the 17th century. 

Interestingly, Christopher Columbus employed two caravels in his voyages of discovery to the New World.

Captain Wylie drew inspiration from the Mahogany Ship, a partially buried shipwreck that Europeans first discovered in 1836 and was last seen in 1886 between Warrnambool and Port Fairy.

Photo credit: Notorious Ship/Facebook

Since its launch in 2011, Notorious has voyaged over 20,000 nautical miles in the Bass Strait, Southern Ocean, Tasman and Coral Seas, manned only by Captain Wylie and his partner, Felicite. 


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Their journeys aboard Notorious have been a true testament to the vessel’s seaworthiness and Captain Wylie’s skill as a builder and sailor.

Published 12-April-2023