A tiny Western Australian community is asking for help to save a historic boat which was built by a famous shipbuilding dynasty and also helped found their town.
Walpole is a small town in the state's south-west, famous for its giant old-growth forest tingle and karri trees.
Local historic society member Gary Muir is worried an important part of the town's past — the Lady Walpole — may rot away into little more than firewood despite a massive community campaign to save it.
The stately vessel, which has been registered with the National Trust, carried thousands of tourists and visiting royalty in its heyday, and dates back to the town's pioneer days.
The Lady Walpole was built in 1934 — the same year her namesake, the town of Walpole, was named.
"One of the first trips it ever did was [carrying] the first Walpole community, these families that had come down to try to establish this town," Mr Muir said.
"This is from the very origin of the Walpole community."
The 36-foot boat was hand-built from Huon pine salvaged from a Tasmanian ship that was wrecked in a storm on Walpole's coast in 1934, and jarrah milled from the forests around Walpole.
For more than 30 years she took tourists around the Nornalup and Walpole inlets, carrying up to 60 day trippers on a day's cruise.
The vessel was built by the legendary West Australian shipbuilding family, the Swarbricks.
She was one of the first of hundreds of boats built by the family in WA, which also designed the 1987 America's Cup defender Kookaburra III for Kevin Parry's syndicate.
The family firm has also built yachts for some of WA's adventure sailors, including the Perie Banou for solo around-the-world yachtsman Jon Sanders.
David Dicks, Jesse Martin and Jessica Watson also used Swarbrick yachts for record-setting voyages.
Community rallies to bring vessel home
When the Swarbricks left Walpole in the mid-1960s they took Lady Walpole with them.
She was converted to a houseboat for holidays on the Swan and at Rottnest, had a period in the waters off Dampier, and then went through a few owners at Busselton and Bunbury.
Seven years ago the Walpole community raised $10,000 to bring her back home.
Prisoners from a nearby work camp stripped paint, removing the additions and built a steel frame to stop the hull from twisting out of shape.
But work came to a close last year when the shed Lady Walpole was stored in was put up for sale.
Mr Muir hopes a project leader can come on board to help the community apply for grants to finish the project, and see the Lady Walpole once again on the high seas.
"The costing we know is beyond our little community," he said.
"It is very special not only for our family but the Walpole community, for West Australia as a whole — it is an icon for this state."
