TSS Taroona, Mersey River

‘I was at school during WWII. The Taroona was taken over by the military. So they got first choice when we did travel, and occasionally we didn’t travel when we wanted to, because Italian prisoners came first, and Australian military came second. And it was slow, not like these modern ones that could do two trips in a day, it could only do one. Well I was trying to think, I felt we would catch the boat between two and three in the afternoon in Melbourne, and arrive here somewhere, Burnie, Launceston or Devonport, at about three in the afternoon. Was slow. And then it went back again, so it was crossing the strait twice as many times as it did when the other ship was there.’
— Janice