Some of Australia’s most treasured maritime relics are at risk of losing their home, as the harbour leases that protect them edge toward expiration and major redevelopment plans loom over the waterfront.
The Sydney Heritage Fleet, custodian of some of the nation’s oldest vessels including the 1884 James Craig tall ship, the 1927 John Oxley steamship and the 1912 Kanangra ferry warns it may soon have nowhere to go. Its Rozelle shipyard sits on government‑owned land, but the lease expires in 2028, and the site falls within the proposed Bays West transport‑oriented development (TOD) rezoning area.
Vice‑president Brett Smith says the organisation is deeply concerned.
“There’s nowhere left because it’s all been developed and sold off,” he said. “It’s not just waterfrontage we need it has to be waterfrontage in an area where you can make a bit of noise.”
If the government reclaims the land, he added, “we don’t know where we’re going to go.”
Just across a 10‑lane highway lies the future Bays Metro station, expected to open in 2032. The surrounding precinct is earmarked for new housing within a 1,200‑metre radius, intensifying pressure on industrial and heritage sites nearby.
The Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure had previously indicated the rezoning plan would be released publicly by 2025, but that deadline has passed. A NSW planning spokesperson said the proposal is now tied to a broader review of the working port by the state’s Cabinet Office.
For the Sydney Heritage Fleet, the uncertainty threatens not only a shipyard but a living link to Australia’s maritime past.
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