Media Releases

The historically significant 84 ft wooden tuna clipper MFV Tacoma, built by brothers Bill, Alan and Hughie Haldane on the banks of the Moyne River at Port Fairy in Victoria turns 75. The vessel has been fully restored and maintained over recent years by an enthusiastic group of dedicated volunteers, all members of the MFV […]

The Port Lincoln based 84-foot wooden tuna clipper MFV Tacoma returned to Port Lincoln this afternoon (6th April) after a sixteen-day voyage and visit to Port Fairy, 73 years after it was launched at Port Fairy. Two of the original 1952 crew were onboard from Port Lincoln, 90-year-old Jack Bellamy and Tacoma Preservation Society (TPS) President

The water depth of the Port of Port Fairy is tight for the Tacoma. “In the work we’ve done preparing for this event, beneficial dredging is being done at a couple of specific spots in the channel,” Ross Haldane said. It took the Haldane brothers seven and a half years to build the MFV Tacoma.

Weather permitting, the MFV Tacoma will steam from Port Lincoln with a crew and eight paying passengers and arrive in Port Fairy on the high tide on Monday 25th or Tuesday 26th March. The vessel will be moored in Port Fairy until 1 April and be open to the public. The Mayor of Port Lincoln

The historic Port Lincoln based 84-foot wooden tuna clipper MFV Tacoma is returning to Port Fairy, 73 years after it was launched in the town. The MFV Tacoma was built by brothers Bill, Alan and Hughie Haldane on the banks of the Moyne River between 1944 and 1951. This is the second serious attempt to