Edwin Fox

The Edwin Fox was built of teak in Calcutta in 1853, and the reason she matters is longevity and range of use: she carried cargo, served as a troopship in the Crimean War, transported convicts to Western Australia in 1858, brought migrants to New Zealand in the 1870s, then ended as a coal hulk and a freezer ship at Picton, which is how she survived when contemporaries were broken up. She is one of the world's oldest surviving merchant sailing ships and the only surviving ship that carried convicts to Australia. What is left is the hull, heavily decayed, held in a dry berth under cover with a museum alongside holding fittings, documents and passenger accounts. It is not a restored vessel you walk around admiring - it is a wreck being conserved, and visitors expecting a tall ship are often taken aback.

Highlights

• The 1853 teak hull - decayed, in a covered dry berth.
• The convict voyage record - the only surviving ship that made one.
• The museum - fittings, documents and migrant accounts.
• The conservation work - the ongoing effort to hold her together.

When to go

Any season; it is under cover. It sits beside the ferry terminal, so it fits easily into a wait for a Cook Strait sailing.

Good to know

This is a decaying hull under conservation, not a restored sailing ship - manage expectations accordingly. Ticketed. An hour is enough for most visitors.

Nearby

The Picton waterfront and ferry terminal are adjacent; the Queen Charlotte Track starts nearby.

Key facts