Our Story
A new business begins
In the late 1950s Alan Kitcher sailed though the heads of Fremantle Harbour in a 42ft wooden hulled launch ‘The Temeraire’. He had brought her, along with his family, from Albany in the states far south to begin a new business venture; a regular passenger ferry service from Perth to the holiday island of Rottnest.
“The Temeraire” could only carry 44 passengers at a time and the daily crossing was restricted to fair-weather only. But little did he realise that his efforts would eventually manifest into what the largest privately owned ferry company in Australia, carrying 100 of 1000’s of people to Rottnest very year.
Realising potential
For many years Alan’s son Trevor worked along side his father learning the ropes and assisting in all facets of the business. As time went on the Rottnest business grew and Trevor began to see its true potential. He realised however that this could only be achieved by building bigger and better boats.
Trevor finally took his place at the company helm and in 1971 commissioned the construction of the 700 passenger ferry the ‘Temeraire II’. This was the turning point. The Temeraire II could make the run fully loaded in record time and with a much greater deal of comfort and reliability.
Boom times
The new service attracted many more visitors to the Island and business began to boom. The increase in business soon enabled the company to build an even bigger ferry the ‘Rottnest Explorer’ and then onto develop the new high speed craft that we see today under the banner of Boat Torque Cruises. The realisation of untapped potential that saw this business begin and grow saw the company bought by Don Brown and Don Dunbar in 2002 where they expanded the business to also provide an additional fast ferry service from C-shed Fremantle under the banner of Rottnest Express.
A bright future ahead
They continued to develop the business until July 2007 when the Baileys Marine Group bought Boat Torque / Rottnest Express. They did so out of a great passion for both boats and the Island. They are now combining this passion with over 20 years experience in the marine industry to create an even better ferry service to the island. Because of their background in the marine industry and love of all things water, they believe that with the right staff, culture and vision, Rottnest Express has become the world-class ferry business that it was destined to be.
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