Type :
 Wooden screw steamer
Launched  :
1883
Builder :
 Ephriam Ward
Balmain, NSW
Gross weight :
 84 tons
Dimensions :
 83.60 x 18.00 7.50 (feet)
Passenger capacity :
 500
Speed :
 unknown
Albatross was a wooden steamship owned by Charles Jeanneret and built in 1883 by Ephriam Ward at Balmain. Of 84 tons, she was 83.6 x 9.6 x 4.8 feet in dimension and driven by 35hp steam engine manufactured by Shanks & Co.

Capable of carrying five hundred passengers, she entered service running a daily (except Saturday) trip to Gosford from the foot of King Street leaving at 7.20am and returning at 1.00pm. Her first trip was on the28th of October 1884. As well as passengers, she also carried general cargo. The route ran via Barrenjoey and Blackwall (Woy Woy).

On New Years Day of 1885, she was advertised as running an excursion to the Hawkesbury River as far as Sackville. There, her passengers transferred to coaches and thence to a special train at Windsor to return to Sydney in the evening. Dinner was served at Wisemans Ferry and passengers had the option of returning on the boat if they preffered. Limited to fifty persons, each guest paid thirty shillings for the trip and it was touted as the first trip of its kind. Apparently it was a great success with several further tours be running from both Sydney and Gosford.

In July 1885 she was joined on her Gosford route by Defiance and a twice daily service was now in effect. A third ferry, Psyche, was added in November of the same year. Albatross was frequently touted as the fast boat in the Sydney - Gosford trade.

By early 1886, Psyche had been replaced  by another (and faster vessel), Promise. With this new ferry, the company began a thrice daily sailing to and from Gosford and at the same time built new facilities at Gosford to cater for both passengers and goods. At the same time, stewards and stewardesses were employed on all three ships for the convenience of the passengers during their trip.

But the dominance of these boats was about to come to a halt. Early in 1887 the railway line between Hornsby and Brooklyn was opened. Passengers and goods transferred to the purpose built stern wheeler General Gordon that carried them through to Gosford. The trade vanished overnight.

Shortly thereafter Albatross was sold to Queensland where she was eventually broken up.