‘Bloody pathetic’: Mystery surrounds sinking of Brisbane’s iconic Kookaburra Queen

Brisbane’s iconic party boat the Kookaburra Queen I has been found sinking at a dock in the city’s east and now faces an uncertain future, with a former owner saying it’s a mystery why the boat was taken off its berth.

After selling for more than half-a-million dollars more than four months ago, vision has emerged of the beloved paddleboat partially submerged at its mooring at Hemmant.

Jim Kelly, the former owner of Brisbane Cruises, which once operated the boat, said despite the age and condition of the boat, he was shocked it could be sinking.

“Bloody pathetic, it’s got a good hull – a triple diagonal hull that’s stiff and waterproof and I was on it a month ago. They had regular caretakers living there and it was all good,” he told Nine News.

“So now it’s a bit of a mystery – all of a sudden it’s taken off the berth and it’s sitting on the bottom.”

Built in 1986 and a major feature of Expo ’88, it was used for weddings and parties for years. The boat featured two dance floors with a PA system, seating for 320 people, a commercial-grade kitchen and eight bathrooms.

But the 30.5-metre vessel had fallen into disrepair in recent years.

It survived damage in the 2011 Queensland floods but ceased operating as a commercial vessel after further damage in the 2022 flood.

According to Nine News, Maritime Safety Queensland had said the boat was unlikely to pose any threat to other vessels travelling on the river.

While it was also unlikely to sink any further, it was not yet known what kind of salvage mission or future was possible for the boat.

It was built just prior to its sister boat, the Kookaburra Queen II – which featured a large, classic paddlewheel more akin to 19th-century Murray River and Mississippi steamers.

In 2019, the Kookaburra Queen II was involved in a low-speed crash, with several people injured when a woman fell from the top floor and landed on another passenger.

Kookaburra Queen I was listed for sale last September through Grays auction house and sold for $550,000 to a mystery buyer.

With William Davis

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