Anchors Aweigh: A City Built on Water, Forgetting Its Own
On a misty Docklands morning, the smell of salt and oil mingles with the aroma of espresso drifting from waterfront cafés. Tower cranes swing over Victoria Harbour, glass towers rise, and yet—below them—three proud silhouettes cling to the past: Alma Doepel, Enterprize, and the steam tug Wattle. Together they form Melbourne’s Heritage Fleet, the city’s last link to its working-waterfront soul.
But as of this month, their moorings are in jeopardy. Despite decades of restoration, volunteer sweat, and millions in community funding, the clock is ticking. With eviction looming and no new home secured, the Heritage Fleet now finds itself fighting for survival.
“We’ve restored these ships. We’ve trained the crew. We’ve done the hard work. Now we’re asking the government to do theirs.” — Captain Warwick Brown, Heritage Fleet Working Group
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The Heart of Melbourne’s Heritage Fleet
Each vessel tells a piece of Victoria’s story.
The Alma Doepel – Built in 1903, this three-masted schooner carried cargo around the coast for half a century before becoming a youth sail-training ship. After a meticulous $5 million restoration spanning over a decade, she’s ready to sail again—but with nowhere to berth, she’s now homeless.
The Enterprize – A faithful replica of the 1835 vessel that brought the first settlers up the Yarra River, effectively founding Melbourne. Today she serves as a floating classroom, teaching maritime history to school groups who learn by hoisting sails and hauling ropes instead of tapping screens.
The Steam Tug Wattle – Launched in 1933, she’s the last coal-fired steam tug still steaming in Australia. Once she guided freighters through Port Phillip Bay; now she guides generations back through time with her hissing pistons and brass gauges.
Together, they’re not museum pieces—they’re living, breathing heritage, still seaworthy, still serving.
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The Crisis Beneath the Keel
After months of fruitless discussions with the state agency tasked with redevelopment, no viable solution has emerged. The berths at North Wharf are slated for redevelopment, and unless the government steps in with immediate support, the Heritage Fleet could literally be left high and dry.
The Fleet is asking for $500,000 in emergency funding to establish a temporary operational base, plus a government commitment to develop a long-term maritime heritage precinct.
“This is not a funding black hole,” says Matt McDonald, Chair of the Alma Doepel Project. “We are asking for a modest investment to create a temporary operational base that keeps the fleet afloat while a permanent heritage precinct is developed. Without it, Victoria stands to lose something truly irreplaceable.”
The message is clear: time has run out for talk.
“The clock is ticking,” says Captain Warwick Brown of the Heritage Fleet Working Group. “These vessels will not survive bureaucracy. They need leadership—and they need it now.”
More Than Nostalgia
To dismiss the Heritage Fleet as nostalgia is to misunderstand its value. These ships are living classrooms—training youth in seamanship, teamwork and engineering. They draw tourism, host community events and connect Victoria’s modern identity to its maritime past.
The Enterprize alone welcomes thousands of students and visitors each year, giving them a tactile connection to the birth of Melbourne. The Alma Doepel’s youth-training programme has inspired hundreds of young Victorians to pursue maritime careers. The Wattle, kept alive by volunteers and steam-engine enthusiasts, demonstrates the craftsmanship that built an industrial age.
They’re also economic multipliers. Maritime heritage tourism—when properly supported—draws visitors, volunteers and media attention. Sydney, Hobart and Fremantle have all capitalised on their working fleets; Melbourne risks being the only major port city to lose its own.
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A Fight for Identity
The irony is thick as ship’s tar. Melbourne, founded from the deck of a small trading vessel, could soon evict its last working ships to make room for high-rise developments and luxury yachts. It’s a civic parable: progress without memory is amnesia.
The volunteers—retired sailors, engineers, students, even office workers who swap laptops for ropework—have spent years sanding decks, replacing planks and fundraising through bake sales and donations. Now they’re facing bureaucratic silence.
“These vessels represent who we are,” says one volunteer engineer aboard the Wattle. “If they go, Melbourne loses its story.”
A Modest Ask, A Massive Loss if Ignored
The Heritage Fleet’s request—$500 k for a temporary facility—is less than the price of a single Docklands apartment. Yet the return is immeasurable: heritage, education and civic pride.
Melbourne’s waterfront doesn’t need more glass towers to define it; it needs the hum of steam, the snap of canvas and the glint of brass to remind us where the city came from.
If action isn’t taken, the Alma Doepel may never sail again. The Wattle’s fire may go cold. The Enterprize may lose her mooring—and with it, the story of Melbourne’s own birth.
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The Call to the Premier
The Heritage Fleet is now calling directly on the Premier and relevant Ministers to intervene, provide emergency funding, and fast-track planning for a permanent maritime heritage precinct.
Because what’s at stake isn’t just three ships—it’s a living chapter of Victoria’s history, still afloat against all odds.
How You Can Help
Readers can take action now by visiting the campaign’s support page and sending a letter to decision-makers, urging them to act. Save the Heritage Fleet has made it easier with a template letter and contact details. Save The Heritage Fl
Visit: savetheheritagefleet.com/support
Your voice could make the difference between three ships being preserved—and three pieces of Melbourne’s identity fading away.
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