Polly Woodside was the last sailing ship to operate in Australian waters. The ship was built in Belfast, Northern Ireland, in 1885. It was constructed of steel sheets riveted to a wrought-iron frame, and it had square rigging. The ship displaced about 730 tons (660 metric tons) of water, and it could carry up to 1,240 tons (1,125 metric tons) of cargo. It was named for the wife of its owner, W. J. Woodside, a Belfast ship owner.
During its early years of service, the Polly Woodside carried coal, nitrates, and grain. In 1904, it was sold to A. H. Turnbull and Company of New Zealand. It was renamed Rona, and Turnbull used the ship to carry cargo between New Zealand and Australia. In 1921, it was stripped for use as a coal refueling barge. It operated in this capacity into the 1960’s.
In 1968, the ship’s owners donated it to the National Trust of Australia. It was restored during the early 1980’s. Today the ship serves as the centerpiece of the Polly Woodside Maritime Museum in Melbourne.
