SS John Oxley

SS John Oxley is a steamship that was previously a pilot boat, lighthouse and buoy tender. The ship was built in Scotland in 1927 for the Queensland Government. The vessel was requisitioned by the Royal Australian Navy during World War II and returned to her duties after the war. John Oxley remained active until 1968 when her deteriorating condition made her unusable. In 1970, the ship was donated by the Queensland Government to the Lady Hopetoun and Port Jackson Marine Steam Museum (now the Sydney Heritage Fleet) for preservation, but due to other projects, work was sidelined until 2004. For the past 20 years the ship has undergone restoration on a floating dock at Rozelle Bay. In April 2022 she was towed to dry dock at Garden Island, successfully refloated and returned to Rozelle Bay for further restoration work afloat.