Ramming Japanese whaling ships and shutting down illegal Chinese drift netters are all in the past for the MY Steve Irwin, the former flagship of an anti-whaling fleet.
The vessel has found a temporary retirement home at Newcastle Harbour with owner Kerrie Goodall and her rescue dog, the Admiral.
After 17 successful campaigns with conservation organisation Sea Shepherd – which claims to have helped save the lives of more than 6,000 whales – the ship is being restored by Ms Goodall with the aim of opening it to the public.
Ms Goodall hoped someone would step in to preserve the ship and its legacy when it was retired and sold to a Hong Kong scrap yard in 2018.
"That didn't happen — I guess global pandemics don't help that — so I did," Ms Goodall said.
"I know the power of its appeal to educate and inspire people … to learn more about ocean conservation and consumer choices."
After receiving her bill of sale for the ship from Sea Shepherd – a whole $10 – Ms Goodall set the MY Steve Irwin up as a pop-up restaurant and museum in Williamstown, Melbourne, before the pandemic.
"Every Sunday we had live music on the stern of the ship," she said.
But when COVID shut Melbourne down, pizza ovens were traded for chisels as Ms Goodall and her team worked to restore the ship, removing more than 300 kilograms of rust in the process.
"Through hard lockdowns in COVID, I'd pretty much come down every afternoon and do a lot of work on the ship," she said.
"We've removed majority of the rust and put new paint on."
New chapter for storied craft
The ship has travelled the globe and its adventures are displayed onboard through pictures.
According to Sea Shepherd, the MY Steve Irwin helped save the lives of more than 6,000 whales.
"It's probably the most documented ship in the world," Ms Goodall said.
But Ms Goodall and the Admiral, who have made the craft their home, may love it most of all.
"It's a privilege, but it's a lot of work," Ms Goodall said.
"Just think of an old house and times it by 100 or more."
She might have bought her home for a song, but Ms Goodall has spent about $300,000 on it so far.
She said Newcastle was not the final destination for the Steve Irwin as she planned to eventually head north to Brisbane.
But she said she would permanently base the boat in Newcastle if authorities allowed it.
In the meantime, she plans to open the ship to the public soon, having established a not-for-profit organisation called Ship4Good to educate people about ocean conservation.
"I was invited by the public to submit for a major events grant — we've got a pretty exciting event planned if that happens," Ms Goodall said.
