EST. 1946
The story of the Royal Barge.
Very few vessels earn a title. This is the story of one that did.
THE NAVY YEARS
1946 — Built for war, finished too late for it
Elizabeth Anne was built in 1946 as a troop carrier for the Royal Australian Navy, in the closing chapter of the Second World War. She missed her chance at wartime service — the war ended before she could take it up — and so her working life began not in convoy but on a river.
THE YARRA FERRY
The ferry years — a low hull and a busy river
Bought by the Melbourne Harbour Trust, she spent her early decades ferrying passengers up and down the Yarra. Her particular gift was architectural: built low, she could slip beneath the river's bridges where other vessels had to stop. The Yarra opened up to her, end to end — and Melburnians made her part of the daily life of the city.
THE DUKE, 1956
1956 — An Olympic errand
In 1956, with Melbourne hosting the Games of the XVI Olympiad, Elizabeth Anne was given the task that began her second reputation: she carried the Duke of Edinburgh downstream to the MCG to open the Olympic Games. A working river boat, entrusted with the opening of the Games — and equal to the occasion.
THE QUEEN, 1963
1963 — A Queen steps aboard
Seven years later she went one better. On Her Majesty's 1963 visit to Melbourne, Queen Elizabeth II was welcomed aboard. It is the kind of fact that needs no decoration: the Queen, on this deck, on this river. From then on, the title followed her quietly and permanently — the Royal Barge.
"Thus resurrecting her regal career — and certainly earning her the right to be called the Royal Barge."
MARY & FREDERIK, 2003
2003 — A future King and Queen of Denmark
In 2003, Crown Princess Mary and Crown Prince Frederik of Denmark boarded Elizabeth Anne for a scenic cruise along the Yarra — Melbourne's own princess, back on Melbourne's own water. The city was, by every account, enchanted.
THE RELAUNCH
The restoration — Jesse Martin brings her back
Nearly sixty years after her first commissioning, she found her next chapter. Jesse Martin — the Australian adventurer who sailed solo around the world as a teenager — relaunched her, and a total refurbishment returned Elizabeth Anne to the water as Melbourne's most exquisite boat on the Yarra.
THE DIGNITARIES
The guest list
Her decks have carried more than royalty. Dignitaries, celebrities, political figures and athletes have all crossed her gangway — John Farnham among the singers, Michael Schumacher among the champions, AFL players among the locals. She has launched designer collections and hosted international rock stars; weddings and Christmas functions, high teas and celebrations of every kind have filled her saloon.
THE ROYAL BARGE
Today
Elizabeth Anne still sails the Yarra, as she has for the better part of eighty years — restored, hosted, and carrying her history lightly. The invitation stands where it always has, at the gangway.