History and Heritage

Explore the history of this iconic vessel.

Kangaroo was sold off the Halvorsen Hire Fleet into private ownership in 1991. Since that time she has undergone major restoration and refit, including upgrading to current Australian maritime survey requirements.

Joe Leffers and Di Quilty bought Kangaroo in 1991. They had the pick of the Bobbin Head cruisers and Kangaroo caught their eye. She then sat in dry-dock for the next 9 months while shipwright John ‘Freebie’ Freebourne worked on her hull. Di recounts many memorable voyages before they sold Kangaroo in 1997 when the family moved to Queensland.

For the next 18 years, from 1997 to 2015, Kangaroo was a much-loved and integral member of the Burling family in the Pittwater area. For Paul & Yvonne Burling, their family and friends, Kangaroo was a second home. She was put to mostly private use, but kept in maritime survey for occasional boat hire, including her Home & Away appearances, as the well-known character Alf Stewart’s boat, ‘The Blaxland’.

In 2015, Michele Jobbins had the good fortune to take on the custodianship of this beautiful vessel. Kangaroo has enriched her life beyond her imagining and she is delighted to share her with those who hold her in similar regard.

As far as we are aware, Kangaroo is the only Halvorsen 36’ Standard Cruiser that remains in marine survey and therefore available for charter.

ABBA Aboard

During their 1976 Promotional Visit to Australia to record the Bandstand Special ‘The Best of ABBA’ (retitled ‘ABBA in Australia’ for overseas markets), the sensational Swedish supergroup spent some time cruising in Cowan Creek, where they had a chance to relax while recording footage for their much-anticipated TV Special. At a glance it looks like Kangaroo hasn’t changed very much at all since then.

Home and Away Heydays

Since her first appearance in late 1998-early 1999, Kangaroo has moonlighted as a cast member of the long-running and internationally popular TV series Home and Away, appearing as ‘The Blaxland’, the boat owned by the popular character Alf Stewart (played by Ray Meagher). She has been involved in many dramatic storylines and some landmark celebrations over the years. She was thought to have sunk at one stage, but we can assure you that this was purely poetic licence.

Other Starring Roles

Being such a distinctive and distinguished vessel, Kangaroo has been employed in a variety of interesting enterprises over the years. We often only learn about these events when others contact us to share an as-yet undocumented aspect of her history. Please let us know if you know something about her that we don’t!

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